Popular Electronics

Electronics World
ELECTRONIC SYNTHESIZERS
RADIO AMATEUR 2 -METER FM REPEATERS
COMPUTER ART AS A DESIGN TOOL

BUILD:
Unique Binary Digital Clock
Test Instruments for Digital Experiments
Frequency - Selective Color Organ

TEST REPORTS:
Archerkit Deluxe
Electronic Ignition Kit
Lafayette SQA -50
Four - Channel Amplifier
Electro -Voice 1711 & 1751 Microphones
Pace Model 223 CB Transceiver
Heath IM -1202
Digital
SNzax
;IOU

18'01
Ci

rN

b?1b1NOS90

_a

9SZZgS
ELAON 46MS,a09 S,O

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color control

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tint control

nt

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What NRI provides is a combination of kits and
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You start out with NRI's exclusive Achievement
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your money from NRI. Whatever your reason for

wanting more knowledge of Electronics, NRI has an
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completely specialized training kits engineered for business, industrial and military Electronics Technolcenter in solid -state motor control
training
ogy. Shown is your own
and analog computer servo- mechanisms. Telemetering circuits,
solid -state multivibrators and the latest types of integrated circuits
are included in your course.
MAY 1973

MAIL THE POSTAGE -FREE CARD FOR THE

FREE NRI CATALOG IN THE FIELD OF YOUR
CHOICE. YOU WILL BE UNDER NO OBLIGATION. NO SALESMAN WILL CALL.
If the card has been used, write direct to:

(tri.

NRI TRAINING
3939 Wisconsin Ave.
Washington, D.C. 20016
3

MAY 1973

VOLUME 3 NUMBER 5

WORLD'S

Popular Electronics
INCLUDING

LARGEST -SELLING
ELECTRONICS MAGAZINE

Electronics World

rFEATURE ARTICLES
26
34

ELECTRONICS AND WATER QUALITY CONTROL

EFFECTIVE RADIATED POWER Gladden
How to measure and improve your r -f output.

B.

L.

George Lawrence

Houck, Jr.

40

ELECTRONIC MUSIC SYNTHESIZERS Craig Anderton

45

COMPARISON OF QUADRAPHONIC MATRIX DECODERS

48

COMPUTER ART AS A DESIGN TOOL

51

THE MOSFET Adolph A. Mangieri

58

DO YOU KNOW YOUR DC CIRCUITS? Arthur

The way the

"new music"

is

generated.
Julian D. Hirsch
David

Heiserman

L.

How it works and some practical applications.

H. Seidman

First in a new series for study and reference.

67

UNDERSTANDING UNGROUNDED OSCILLOSCOPE MEASUREMENTS

84
86
90

AMATEUR

Raymond

2 -METER

FM

REPEATERS Willard

R.

E.

Herzog

Moody, WA3NFW

BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF ELECTRICAL SHOCK

John

T.

Frye

FASTEST ELECTRONIC DEVICE

A new solid -state switch.

100
110

UNDERSTANDING YOUR TRIGGERED SWEEP SCOPE

Virgil A. Thomason

ELECTRONICS IN HABILITATION AND REHABILITATION

Al Yonovitz

Projects help treat the handicapped.

CONSTRUCTION STORIES
31

UNIQUE DIGITAL CLOCK

Glenn Young

Has an unusual binary readout.

62
64

DESIGN YOUR OWN

COLOR ORGAN Daryl Slaviero

SIMPLE TEST INSTRUMENTS

ZIFF -DAVIS PUBLISHING COMPANY

Editorial and Executive Offices
One Park Avenue, New York, New York 10016
212 679 -7200

William Ziff, President

W. Bradford Briggs, Executive Vice President
Hershel B. Sarbin, Senior Vice President and Secretary
Philip Sine, Financial Vice President and Treasurer
Phillip T. Heffernan, Vice President, Marketing
Frank Pomerantz, Vice President, Creative Services
Arthur W. Butzow, Vice President, Production
Edward D. Muhlfeld, Vice President, Aviation Division
Irwin Robinson, Vice President, Travel Division
George Morrissey, Vice President
Sydney H. Rogers, Vice President
Sidney Holtz, Vice President
Lawrence Sporn Vice President, Circulation
4

FOR DIGITAL CIRCUITS Frank Tooker

POPULAR ELECTRONICS Including ELECTRONICS WORLD,

May, 1973, Volume 3, Number 5. Published monthly
at One Park Ave., New York, NY 10016. One year subscription rate for U.S., U.S. Possessions and Canada, S6.00; all

other countries, 57.00. Second class postage paid at New

York, N.Y. and at additional mailing offices. Authorized
as second class mail by the Post Office Department,
Ottawa, Canada and for payment of postage in cash.
Subscription service and Forms 3579: P.O. Box 2774,
Boulder, CO 80302. Editorial offices for manuscript contributions, reader inquiries, etc.: One Park Ave., New York,
NY 10016.
POPULAR ELECTRONICS Including ELECTRONICS WORLD
is indexed in the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature.

Copyright 1973 by ZIFF -DAVIS PUBLISHING COMPANY.

All rights reserved.
POPULAR

ELECTRONICS

Including Electronics World

ALEXANDER W. BURAWA
i,-,cure Editor

EDGAR W. HOPPER

Pdi,her

WM. A. STOCKLIN
Editoral Director

MILTON
l cell

11:1(Il

Advertising .Sales

Technical Illustrator

LESLIE SOLOMON
L:lir

J.

JOHN R. RIGGS

Advertising Director

JOHN J. CORTON

ANDRE DUZANT

S. SNITZER
Editor

JOSEPH E. HALLORAN

MADELEINE LITTMAN
<e Manager
aotE'rti Si

JOHN T. FRYE
GORDON HOLT

NEUFELD
STANLEY
=nc:atr Pnbl.c)trr
.1

RICHARD HUMPHREY
WALTER G. JUNG
MATT P. SPINELLO

1100agi ng Editor

EDWARD I. BUXBAUM

H. HEBB
FURMAN
lice

President
Group
Electronics and Photographic

Contributing Editors

Art Director

THE SCENES
12
76

STEREO SCENE

91

TEST

94
97
114

J.

Gordon Holt

HOBBY SCENE
EQUIPMENT SCENE

Leslie Solomon

SOLID -STATE SCENE Walter

CB SCENE

Matt

G. Jung

Spinello

P.

SURPLUS SCENE Alexander W. Burawa

PRODUCT TEST REPORTS

AMPLIFIER /DECODER

77
78
80
82

LAFAYETTE SQA -50 4- CHANNEL

83

ARCHERKIT DELUXE ELECTRONIC IGNITION SYSTEM

ELECTRO -VOICE MODELS 1711 and 1751 MICROPHONES

HEATH MODEL IM -1202 DIGITAL MULTIMETER KIT

PACE MODEL 223 CB TRANSCEIVER

DEPARTMENTS
6

EDITORIAL Milton
The Future of the

22
102
111
112

S.

Snitzer

COMING NEXT MONTH

"Floppy Disc"

LETTERS

Closed Box Speaker System Design

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Evaluation of Cassette Tapes

NEW PRODUCTS

Selecting an Electronic Organ

ELECTRONICS LIBRARY

Model Rockets for the Experimenter

NEW LITERATURE

Midwestern Office
The Pattis Group, 4761 West Touhy Ave.,
Lincolnwood, Illinois 60644, 312 679 -1100
GERALD E. WOLFE, DICK POWELL
DICK GOVATSKI, MANLEY LUDWIG

Japan: James Yogi

Oui Palace Aoyama; 6 -25, Minami Aoyama

6 Chome, Minato -Ku, Tokyo 407 -1930'6821

MAY 1973

Member Audit Bureau of

Stereo Review.

all subscription correspondence should be

addressed to POPULAR ELECTRONICS Including ELECTRONICS WORLD, Circulation Department, P.O. Box 2774,
Boulder, CO 80302, Please allow at least eight weeks for
change of address. Include your old address, as well as
new -enclosing, if possible, an address label from a
recent issue.
Forms 3579 and

Western Office
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213 273 -8050; BRadshaw 2 -1161
Western Advertising Manager, BUD DEAN

Ziff -Davis also publishes Boating, Car and Driver, Cycle,

Flying, Modern Bride, Popular Photography, Skiing, and

Circulation

Editorial contributions must be accompanied by return

postage and will be handled with reasonable care; however, publisher assumes no responsibility for return or
safety of art work, photographs or manuscripts.
5

Editorial
By Milton S. Snitzer, Editor

THE FUTURE OF THE "FLOPPY DISC"

We have talked previously about video cartridges and cassettes -and
the problem of non -compatibility. These devices will play back and some will
record pictures that can be displayed on one or more TV receivers. At
that time we were thinking strictly about magnetic tape cartridges and
cassettes. Nothing was said about video discs that would play back
through your TV set. But the video disc is far from dead and several
companies are working on it.
The people in the computer industry have been using disc storage for
some time. Broadcasters have also used this technique for their "instant
replay" in sporting events. However, these magnetic discs were bulky,
rigid, and had to be made to very close mechanical tolerances.
Then, along came the "floppy disc" with magnetic material coated onto
a thin, non -rigid disc made of Mylar plastic. The disc is slipped into
what looks like a phono record jacket made of plastic; and the whole thing
is inserted into a player. It is possible to record as well as play back
these "floppy discs." The jacket mentioned above has an opening for the
spindle hole in the center as well as a radial "window" for the tape head
to make contact with the disc surface.
We saw a demonstration of one of these machines put out by Arvin
Systems (Dayton, Ohio). The company uses the term "Discassette "TM
for its record plus jacket disc. Instead of using a spiralled magnetic track,
there are some 300 separate circular tracks on each side of the disc. Each
track holds one TV frame (1/30 second), and the user can either play one
frame repeatedly or the machine will advance from one band to another.
The device is sort of like a slide projector and it is expected to be used in
broadcast studios for titles, graphics, animation and freeze -frame effects. It
can also be used anywhere in industry, schools, laboratories, hospitals,
or any place where a series of black- and -white stills must be viewed.
Since the machine meets professional broadcast standards with its 4.2 -MHz
bandwidth and has other very tight specs, the unit is not cheap, selling
as it does for around $4000.
It would seem to us that it is not entirely impossible to put the magnetic
tracks on in a spiral rather than a series of concentric circles, add color
to the unit, loosen the specs somewhat, and offer the whole thing as a
recorder /player for the home TV set. Several companies are working along
these lines right now and are claiming an under -$500 price.
Our own feeling is that this is a good way to go for the mass consumer
market, but that the tape cartridges and cassettes will continue to
exist along with the disc. It's much like the hi -fi scene today where records
and tapes are both used. So, we're waiting to see the first "floppy disc"
home TV recorder /player.

POPULAR ELECTRONICS

Including Electronics World

The technology
behind the BOSE 901:
In this article we would like to share with you the
technology that produces the sound which has made
the 901 the most highly reviewed speaker regardless
of size or price.* There are five basic elements of
this technology. Each element is important but it

requires all five to produce the desired result.

1.

An Optimum Combination of Direct

and Reflected Sound

The combination of 11% direct radiation from the
front of the enclosure with
89% radiation reflected at 30
angles from the rear wall, simulates in your listening room
the spatial characteristics of the
larger environment of the live
performance. This is responsible for the "open" and "nat-

4.

Flat Power Response

The concept of flat "frequency" response was sacred

in the tradition of speaker design until the arrival
of the 901. The research that gave birth to the 901
dearly showed that the reverberant acoustical field
dominates the direct field in live performances. Flat
frequency response would be appropriate only if
the reverse were true. The basic patents covering
the 901 are testimony to the importance of the
discovery that flat "power" response is the correct
criterion for speaker design. Flat
power response combined with
reflected sound enables the 901
to produce all overtones of musical instruments without the
shrillness characteristic of direct
radiating speakers.

ural' sound that

is immediately
apparent in an A-B listening
test of the 901 with any conventional speaker.

2. Multiplicity

5. The Technology

of Quality Control
The sound of any loudspeaker
depends on everything from the

of

Full -Range Drivers

The research that was presented at the Audio Engineering Society meeting in 1968 t revealed that
the irregularities of the acoustical radiation inherent
in the crossover range of any woofer-tweeter speaker
could be overcome by the use of a multiplicity of

full -range drivers. The 901 uses nine full-range drivers

The benefit of this approach is
in each enclosure.
appreciated when you try to follow a single instrument through a heavily orchestrated passage.

texture of the paper cone to

the thickness of the glue
joints. Unfortunately, the standard techniques for measuring loudspeakers are not
adequate to guarantee that speakers with equal measurements will sound alike. The BOSE Research
Department has worked on this problem for many
years. The result is the SYNCOM'" speaker computer,
introduced in 1972. This computer tests and selects
every BOSE speaker to standards that mark a significant advance in your listening enjoyment. The
SYNCOM computer, and the difference it makes,
will be the subject of a future article.

3. Active Equalization

In the audio frequency range, precise tailoring of

electronic circuits to match the characteristics of a

speaker can achieve a far more accurate balance of
radiated tones than can be achieved by the mechanical
components of any speaker acting alone. The active
equalizer in the 901 contains over one -hundred components and is precisely tailored to the characteristics
of the 901 speaker. This precision tailoring of the
equalizer to the 901 is responsible for the accurate
musical timbre for which the 901 speaker is famous.

f Copies

of the
Audio Engineering
Society paper, ON
THE MEASUREMENT AND
EVALUATION OF
LOUDSPEAKERS,
by Dr. A.G. Bose,
are available from
Bose Corp. for
fifty -cents each.

You can hear the difference now.

Framingham, Massachusetts 01701

CIRCLE NO.
MAY 1973

ON READER SERVICE CARD

7

taxe Your
Pick
LARGEST RANGE,
GREATEST VARIETY
What are you driving? Slotted,
Phillips, Frearson, Reed &

111111911111NNONSORIN

Prince, Allen hex, clutch

head, Scrulox, Bristol Spline,
or Pozidriv screws? Xcelite
makes screwdrivers for every
type and size. Metrics, too.

from 2%" miniatures to

huge 2 footers.

.040" to

?'u

tip widths.

round or square blades.

or.

tough, forged alloy steel

non -magnetic beryllium copper.

nickel chrome, black oxide

finish, or insulation coated.

fixed -handle or inter changeabie and reversible

blades.

Letters J
PLAY IT SAFE, USE LED'S

With regard to the "Semiconductor Junction

Tester" ( February 1973 ), the project will destroy transistors under test. Cold lamp bulbs
typically draw between 12 and 15 times their
steady-state currents; so, when the Junction
Tester is used, large inrush currents will flow
in the transistor under test. If, for example, a
small 30 -mA lamp were used, currents of up to
400 mA would flow through the transistor for
several milliseconds. If this current were fed into
the base of a signal transistor, it would in all
likelihood destroy the transistor. I suggest that
the lamps specified in the Parts List of the
project be replaced with light- emitting diodes

VV\nM
680I1

straight and tee handles

regular and ratcheting

types.

available individually or
in handy kits and sets.

Made in U.S.A. to highest

standards.
REQUEST FREE TOOL CATALOG 171

nationwide availability through

local distributors

glOINOMMeme-

(LED's) as shown in the diagram. The LED's

can he operated at a safe 5 or 10 mA.
RICHARD W. Fox
General Electric Application Engineering
Auburn, N.Y.

Many thanks for bringing this information

to our and our readers' attention.

professional screwdrivers
XCELITE, INC., 20 Bank St., Orchard Park, N. Y. 14127
Send complete tool catalog,

all Xcelite screwdrivers.

which includes information on

name
address

city

state & zip

In Canada contact Charles W. Pointon, Ltd.

CIRCLE NO.
8

39

ON READER SERVICE CARD

KR6 AND KR8 PREFIXES DELETED

The Amateur Radio Prefix /Country List given
on pages 78 and 79 of the 1973 CODItIUNICATIONS HANDBOOK iS in error. Effective with the
reversion of the Ryukyu Islands to the government of Japan on 15 May 1972, the amateur
call signs KR6 and KR8 were removed from use
and returned to the FCC's inactive list. Japanese
amateurs use the JR6 call sign, while the U.S.
Forces personnel use the KA6 call sign.
FRANK T. LAUCHNER, MSGT., USAF
APO San Francisco
POPULAR ELECTRONICS Including Electronics

World

GOT HIS WIRES CROSSED

I recently built the "Touch -Plate Power
Switch" ( August 1972) and encountered a
problem that I believe many of your readers
might be running into. Since I could not obtain
an RCA 40673 MOSFET in my locality, I substituted a HEP F2004 unit. When the circuit
did not work, I traced the problem down to the
HEP substitute. Its gate leads are arranged in
reverse order to those of the RCA MOSFET.
So, I transposed the leads of the HEP device,
slipping onto them insulating spaghetti to prevent their shorting to each other. Now my
project works just fine.

D. LONG
Albion, Iowa

GREGORY

A good solution to a substitution problem.

EXTEND A HELPING HAND

From time to time, we receive pleas from

our readers for assistance that we cannot give
for various reasons ( mostly because we do not
really have the time to enter into extensive research). So, we publish the requests in this
column where other readers who can render the
asked-for assistance will read it. This month,
the following readers are asking for assistance:
Richard Baker (8 Valley View La., Newton
Square, PA 19073) lost all of his issues of
POPULAR ELECTRONICS and other magazines in

last year's flood and would like very much to

replace them. Anyone willing to part with PE
and other magazines and radio and TV schematics is invited to send Richard a list of
what is being offered and the prices asked. Even
if you do not want to sell, maybe you are willing
to lend them to Richard for making copies.
Matt A. Muller (1134 Elm Ave., Landsdale,
PA 19466) needs the construction manual for
a Precise Development Corp. Model 300 oscilloscope.
M. Malinics ( Bldg. A, Apt. 7, Oak Tree Dr.,
North Brunswick, NJ 08902) needs the service
manual and/or schematic diagram for his
Laboratory for Electronics Model 411 oscilloscope.
M. Pallas (45:35 163 St., Flushing, NY 11358)
needs four VT -5 vacuum tubes, a type C -65
interstage transformer, and a type I -44 filament
ammeter for his 1928 Army Signal Corps Model
BC-137 radio receiver.
Morriz Jagodowicz ( 622 Euclid Ave., Syracuse, NY 13210) needs the service manual for
a Doric transistorized organ, Model or Serial No.
4528.
Ma Phuoc Hong Anh (411/19, Phan-DinhPhung, Saigon III, Republic of Vietnam) needs
the spec. sheet and operating /service manual
for a Sentinel Electronics, Inc., Model ME26D/U vacuum -tube multimeter.
Anyone who can help is invited to write directly to these readers at the addresses given.

CADENCE

-the

musical instrument speakers

Making better, clearer, amplified sound waves

is the THING Cadence does ... better than
anything else in the industry. Cadence Speakers are built
to withstand heat from sustained notes at a high power
level and the vibrations and stresses which are continually
placed upon them. Cadence is guaranteed one full year
at the power level specified. This proven speaker
family has been selected by the manufacturers of most
of the world's fine amplified music instruments.
If making beautiful, clear sound waves is your
thing, ask for CADENCE SPEAKERS.
For complete information and the name of your
Cadence Dealer, write:
UTAH ELECTRONICS DIVISION
Utah -American Corporation
1124 East Franklin Street
Huntington, Indiana 46750

CIRCLE NO.
MAY 1973

37

ON READER SERVICE CARD

9

You get more"security"

And it's all do-it-yourself.

P.

The Mallory line of security products

is not only the most complete line you
can get anywhere, it's also just about
the easiest to hook up. It's genuinely
a do- it- yourself line.
Especially the complete systems.
From complete home intrusion alarm
systems (pliug -in or wire -in) to smoke
alarms and car alarms.
And we have all the accessories you
need to expand and adapt any of fl-ese
10

systems to your specific security needs.

Look for our security systems and
accessories on display n their bright,
new packages (with installation directions printed right on each package).
It's all at your Mallory distributor's now.
In the meantime, look at the table
on the right. It's everything we have
in security products to date. A
complete selection for one -stop
security shopping.
POPULAR ELECTRONICS

Inducing Electronics World

from Mallory
THE MALLORY SECURITY LINE
COMPLETE ALARM SYSTEMS

COMPLETE ALARM SYSTEMS

Closed-Circuit Alarm System
Complete alarm system containing batteries.
switches. wire, etc.
Crime Alert Ultrasonic Intrusion Alarm
Battery- operated, self- contained alarm.
Also operates on AC.
Car Alarm

Alarm system containing siren, six switches,

wiring, etc.

ACCESSORIES
Weatherproof Siren
Vibrating Bell
Magnetic Switches
Heat Sensors 135 F or 200F
Panic Switch
Alarm Hook -Up Wire
Lockswitch Round or Flat Key
Mallory Batteries
Auto Headlight or
Turn Signal Alarm
Warning Decals
DC
DC

Smoke Alarm
Self-contained alarm to warn against smoke
and fire.
Crime Alert Ultrasonic Intrusion Alarm
Self -contained alarm which detects intruders
moving in an area of approximately 300 sq. ft.

Crime Alert Alarm System

Ultrasonically detects intruder. Transmits alarm
signal over house wiring to signal activated
bell. Simple plug -in installation.
Manual Alarm Pack
Manually summons help instantly by
transmitting alarm signal over house wiring to
signal activated bell when you push the button.

ACCESSORIES
Wood Cabinet for Crime Alert
Alarm Duration Timer for Crime Alert
Easy -Time 24 -Hour Timer
Lockswitch Round or Flat Key
Power Failure Alarm
Mallory Batteries
AC Vibrating Bell
AC Weatherproof Horr.
AC Weatherproof Siren
AC Rotating Red Lighl

PERSONAL ALARMS
Bloc Alarm
Blocks doorways and warns if door is forced.
Handy Blast
Loud, piercing sound scares molesters away.
1

Handy Blast Refill

Send

SIGNAL ACTIVATED COMPONENTS

Transmit and receive alarm sigral through
house wiring.

Alarm Trigger -Transnits signal to:

Alarm bell
Weatherproof horn
Outlet
Weatherproof sires
Son alert

for our new Security Systems catalog

It describes every item listed here, explains

MALLORY

9 -654.

how to use them.

MALLORY DISTRIBUTOR PRODUCTS COMPANY

a division of P. R. MALLORY d CO. INC.
Box 1284. Indianapolis. Indiana 40 2O6: Telephone: 317 -630 -5353

CIRCLE NO.
MAY 1973

24

ON READER SERVICE CARD

11

Stereo Scene
By J. Gordon Holt

THE professional running speed of 15 requiring more treble boost while recording
per second, discrepancies in the in order to obtain a flat high end. At the
recorder's "setup" adjustments are less same time, the recorded wavelengths start
noticeable than at slower speeds. High to approach the practical minimum that
frequencies are spaced a reasonable dis- can be designed into head gaps.
At cassette speed (1?% in. /s) , the detance apart along the length of the tape,
mands of short wavelength recording are
so there is little tendency for adjacent
positive and negative magnetic polarities such that the recorder must be specifically
to erase one another. Also, the wavelengths and meticulously adjusted for the cassette
tape being used if either is to approach its
involved put no critical demands on the
magnetic gap dimensions in the record or frequency- response specification. Even miplay heads. As long as the equalization croscopic variations in oxide coating from
curves provided by the record and play one production batch to another of the same
circuits conform to industry standards, a kind of tape can cause definitely audible
single bias -current adjustment will yield differences between the original program
pretty much flat response from just about material and the playback from the casany tape used on the recorder, despite the sette. This, as I mentioned in a previous
usual minor variations from one tape to an- column, is why cassette-recorder owners
other in coating thickness and coercivity feel so strongly, and disagree so sharply,
about what are the best cassettes.
(ease of recording).
When they find that one brand and type
But as soon as we start to run the tape
at slower speeds, treble recording becomes of cassette causes muffled sound and anincreasingly difficult and, hence, increas- other yields perfect record/play compariingly affected by tape characteristics. At sons, it is not (usually) because the latter
the slower speeds, the magnetic patterns tape is better, but merely because it better
representing high frequencies get jammed matches the bias and equalization adjustcloser together on the tape, so each area ments that the factory made on the cassette
machine before it came off the assembly
of magnetic polarity comes more under the
influence of adjacent areas of opposite line. And it is the simple fact that no repolarity. One tends to erase the other, re- corder can be precisely adjusted to one tape
ducing treble output from the tape, and and work at its best with another that has
given the cassette its reputation for being
"still far inferior to open -reel tape." Some
cassette recorders, carefully adjusted to a
specific batch of cassettes, sound so much
like a good open -reel machine that it takes
a very good ear and top -notch playback
components to detect any difference at all.
If you bought one of the better cassette
recorders, you can expect this kind of performance from your own machine, but only
if you adopt a good tape as your quality
standard (chromium dioxide or a premium
low-noise tape), buy a carton of them, and

ATinches

Do -ItYourself
Tape Recorder

Setup

12

CIRCLE NO.

ON READER SERVICE

CARD-

Now there's a CB radio

with too much talk power.

111.

Put punch in your voice, from a block

away to the friiges of your range.

Extra large Power S Mete- le's you

mcritor your set s performance
easily even when its tucked under
the dashboard.

New Dyia -Mike gain control puts ouabsclute modulation. So much talk
power you'll have to turr it down.
An important feature, but only
one that makes this fantastically low priced CB radio the best CB value
on today's market.

Ard you ge- swiichable automatic

noise limiter, P -A. /external speaker
jack, large built -in speaker and

with crystal fiter,

dual conversion receiver; transmits
and receives on all 23 AM channels.
Features 60 dB adjacent channel
rejection that completely
eliminates bleedaver.
The Cobra

21

TI!

detachable mike.
Its all wrapped up in a beautiful,
compact cabinet only 6" wide x 2%"
wide x 7 %" deep. Meets FCC
requirements.
Ask your CB Dealer for the Cobra 21.
The radio with too much talk power
for not much money.

119 9v

mike

COBRA 21
WITH EXCLUSIVE CYNA -MIK_

Product of DYNASCAN CORPORATION

1801 W Eel`e

Plaine

Chicago, Illinois 60613

get your recorder adjusted for that kind of

tape.
This is not to say that an open -reel recorder doesn't need careful adjustment to
the tape of your choice, too. Even at 732
in. /s, a good ear can usually detect the
high -end change when a different recording tape is used. But, whereas it is often
possible to get acceptable performance
from an open -reel machine just by trying
some different tapes until you find one that
works pretty well, it is usually essential
that a cassette machine be specifically set
up for the tape if it is to yield really good
over -all results.
A factory service center for your recorder can usually do the job if you make it
clear that you are an absolute fanatic for
perfection and tell them to do every adjustment to within --0 dB. Any good tape recorder serviceman can do the job, too, if
he has a service manual for your machine,
although you may have to pay for the manual. (He'll have to order it from the factory.)
In any case, make it clear that you are
finnicky, and give the service people two
tapes from the batch you'll be using for
the service people to use in setting up the
recorder.
Do It Yourself. A

more satisfactory ar-

rangement though, if you're the type, is to

do the job yourself. First, there are a few
items that you must have -either purchased
or borrowed from various places. These
are: a sensitive audio voltmeter, an audio
oscillator providing a choice of, at least,
1,000 Hz and 8,000 or 10,000 Hz (some
inexpensive miniature jobbies are available
that will do fine), a standard playback-level
tape for the speed and track configuration
you use most often, and a service manual
for your tape machine.
Most of the adjustments referred to subsequently will be internal adjustments,
often accessible only after having removed
the recorder from its case. Since the adjustments are rarely labeled in the recorder, the service manual will be necessary to
identify them. And in many cases, the manual may also be needed to clue you in as
to bow to remove the case properly without
damaging anything.
Many recorders, particularly the lowerpriced models, will be found to lack some
of the adjustments mentioned here. In this
case you have no choice but to assume that
those particular functions are okay and
14

proceed to the next. Also, you may find that

your recorder cannot be adjusted right on
the nose to certain figures called for in the
service manual. (It may not yield more
than 13 dB of record treble boost when the
manual calls for 15, for example.) If both
channels are approximately equal in their
adjustment capability, set both adjustments
the same, as close to the specified value as
you can. You may then be able to compensate for the shortcoming in a later adjustment step. If the two channels are found
to be markedly different in one respect,
this suggests a defect in the recorder, and
is a job for a qualified electronics service
technician.
The service manual will generally describe the set -up procedure in some detail,
and some of the details will vary from
recorder to recorder. It is a great help,
though, if you have some inkling of what
you're doing and why, so let's run through
the entire setup procedure on the basis that
it will apply in general.
Since the only way really to evaluate
what is going onto a tape is to play it back,
the first step (after cleaning and degaussing heads and making the connections to
the external test equipment) is to adjust
the playback section. Start with the play
(or record/play) head azimuth adjustment,
using the appropriate high -frequency tone
on the test tape.
Next, use the 1,000 -Hz zero -VU "standard- level" tone on the test tape to adjust
playback level or "play cal" to the value
specified in the manual (and referred to
as "Dolby level" in some recorders so
equipped) If no value is specified, but a
play level adjustment (not an external playback volume control, but internal adjustment) is provided, adjust the standard
tape's test tone so that, with play level up
full, the machine puts out the amount of
signal specified in its performance spec
listing. Adjusting to a standard play level
gives a reference that we can use later to
set the machine's record level to obtain
minimum distortion and maximum signal/
noise ratio.
.

Play Equalization. If there is an adjustment for playback equalization, do this

next, according to the manual and the instructions for the test tape. The recorder is
now set up to play any commercially made
tape with proper output level and frequency response. Similarly, if we set up the
POPULAR ELECTRONICS Including Electronics World

The best time to upgrade

your component system
is before you buy it.
If you're a typical reader of this
magazine, you most likely have a sizeable
investment in a component system. So our
advice about upgrading might come a little late.
What you might have overlooked,
however, is the fact that your records are the
costliest and most fragile component of all. As
well as the only one you will continue to invest in.
And since your turntable is the only
component that handles these valuable records,
advice about upgrading your turntable is better
late than never.
Any compromise here will be costly.
And permanent. Because there is just no way
to improve a damaged record.
If the stylus can't respond accurately and
sensitively to the rapidly changing contours of
the groove walls, especially the hazardous
peaks and valleys of the high frequencies,
there's trouble. Any curve the stylus can't
negotiate, it may lop off. And with those little
bits of vinyl go the high notes and part of
your investment.
If the record doesn't rotate at precisely
the correct speed, musical pitch will be
distorted. No amplifier tone controls can
correct this distortion.

a,cl

If the motor isn't quiet and free of

vibration, an annoying rumble will accompany
the music. You can get rid of rumble by using
the bass control, but only at the expense of
the bass you want to hear.
Experienced component owners know
all this. Which is why so many of them,
especially record reviewers and other music
experts, won't play their records on anything
but a Dual. From the first play on.

Now, if you'd like to know what several

independent test labs say about Dual, we'll
send you complete reprints of their reports.
Plus a reprint of an article from a leading
music magazine telling you what to look for in
record playing equipment. Whether you're
upgrading or not.
Better yet, just visit your franchised United
Audio dealer and ask for a demonstration.
You'll find Dual automatic turntables
priced from $109.50 to $225.00. That may be
more than you spent on your present turntable,
or more than you were intending to spend on
your next one.
But think of it this way. It will be a long,
long time before you'll need to upgrade your Dual.

1211. 5109 50

0661 1218, 5169.50

Dco11229,5225.00

United Audio Products,

Inc., 120 So. Columbus Ave., Mt. Vernon, N.Y 10553

CIRCLE NO.
MAY 1973

36

ON READER SERVICE CARD

15

machine's record section to produce proper

level and flat response through its own play
section, the resulting tapes will be fully
compatible for playback on any other ma=
chine that has been set to industry playback
standards.
A few machines also have other adjustments, such as for crosstalk rejection, in
the play circuits. These should now be set,
again according to the instructions given in
the manual.
Now to the record section. Remove the
standard test tape, load one of the tapes
you'll be using for the most critical recording, and set any tape selector switches to
the appropriate positions. Now, if the recorder has separate record and play heads,
adjust the record head azimuth, observing
the results of each adjustment via playback
from the tape. With a single record /play
head, setting play azimuth (which you
have already done) will have automatically
set record azimuth.
Next, adjust the ultrasonic recording
bias current so that the observed playback
at some middle frequency (1000 Hz, for
example) is at maximum output or thereabouts. The "thereabouts" refers to the
fact that some open -reel recorders function better at 7 in. /s and faster if the bias
current is increased to slightly beyond the
peak- output point, to where the bias increase causes exactly a 'z -dB drop in tape
output. This "overbiased" condition will
cause slight restriction of high -treble range,
but the loss can usually be restored during
adjustment of the record equalization, later
on. The gain here is in slightly reduced
distortion and a reduction in the audible
dropout disturbance caused by minor tape surface inconsistencies.
Whether you adjust bias for peak output
or for slightly beyond peak, it is important
that both channels be adjusted as closely
as possible to the same bias point. Slight
channel mismatching here will cause a
peculiar condition in which some tapes
have identical high -end response while
others exhibit an audible difference in high end response between channels, making it
difficult to set stereo channel balance to
satisy the ears.
Recording Level. After bias adjustment,
the record calibration should be adjusted
so that the playback level is the same as
that previously obtained from the standard
tape's zero VU level. This will be the
16

maximum level that you should put onto

any tape. Then, the VU meter calibrations
should be adjusted so that the meters read
zero VU when you're recording at that same
level.
Now, reduce the recording input level
until the VU meter reads 20 dB below zero
VU (30 dB below with a cassette recorder).
To avoid treble overload due to the record
equalization, tape some 1000 -Hz tone and
then some 10,000 -Hz tone, and play them
both back. Note their relative outputs; and
if they don't match within a dB, adjust the
record equalization for the appropriate
channel (or, in most cassette recorders, ad-

just the bias current), and repeat the 1000/

10,000-Hz comparisons until the two frequencies are the same in playback level.
Then, repeat the record equalization process
in the other channel and at each of the
recorder's other speeds, if any. At the cassette speed, bias current is so critical in its
effect on high frequencies that it can be
used to provide a wide range of high -end
adjustment without having any perceptible
effect either on mid -range output, distortion or noise.
If the recorder has a built -in Dolby, the
foregoing adjustments will have automatically set up the Dolby adjustments. The
machine is now also set up for use with an
external Dolby, which must itself then be
calibrated to match the recorder's own
adjustments, to ensure that all input and
output levels match precisely
prerequisite for proper operation of any Dolby
device.
And that does it, at least for your premium-use tape. Now, if your recorder has
a tape selector switch, take a roll of your
secondary tape type -the kind you'll be
using for less- than -critical recordings -and
go through all of the electrical setup steps
that are adjustable separately from those
for the premium tape. In some recorders,
there are no adjustments specifically for
the secondary tape.
Operating the tape selector switch merely changes the values of some fixed resistors or capacitors in the circuits by predetermined amounts, so if you want optimal
results from your secondary tape, you'll
have to try and find a kind of tape that
best matches what the recorder provides
after you've adjusted for your primary tape.
But at least you'll know your recorder is
working at its best with that particular tape,
anyway.
O

-a

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Those also serve,

who test or measure

or protect or adapt
or sit around &
tell time.

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tor for operation from 1 0 VAC

.... ... .....

DC4 /DC6 DIGITAL CLOCKS

DIGIT [hours, minutes, seconds]

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DC6-E [electronics only]

DC6 -K [complete kit]
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1
ENCLOSED IS A CHECK FOR $
or BANKAMERICAPO #
or EIMASTER CHARGE #
or PURCHASE ORDER #
INCLLDE $5.00 FOR POSTAGE AND HANDLING

mIT5

WRITE OR MAIL COUPON FOR

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

micro Instrumentation &

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5404 Coal Ave., S.E., Albuquerque, New Mexico 87108

MODEL

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ON ENTIRE MITS LINE.

KIT

ELECTRONIDCS

NAME
ADDRESS
CITY
STATE & ZIP
EMITS / 5404 COAL AVE. SE / ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. 87108

505/265 -7553
23 ON READER SERVICE CARD

CIRCLE NO.
MAY 1973

17

USE IT ALL
As You GET READY
FOR A NEW CAREER...
S1,500.00 worth of rwowar radio

electronic communications equipment!

Bell & Howell Schools announces a new
learn -at -home program that gives you
"hands on" experience with commercial grade equipment -as you prepare for a
business of your own in two -way radio

electronic communications servicing

You need "hands on" experience
with a real, commercial -band FM transceiver
and actual commercial -grade test equipment
-to take full advantage of growing opportunities in electronic communications.
Two -way radio communications is a
healthy growth area in electronics. And it's
lucrative. Almost two million commercial
two -way radio systems now serve as vital
communications links for trucks, planes,
boats and taxis. And the FCC requires each
system to have its equipment serviced
regularly by a licensed technician. That's
where you come in. But you need career oriented training -plus your
FCC license.
Knowing how
to put an amateur
radio kit together
won't help
when
you're
"on the

job"

servicing
two -way
radio
systems for
aircraft or advising
trucking companies about
their land- mobile communications
system. For that, you need "hands on"
experience with the real thing. This unique
new Bell & Howell Schools learn -at -home
program gives you just that. You can work
with the equipment by attending one
of our special "help sessions" or by
dropping by one of the Bell & Howell
resident schools. If neither of these plans

convenient, you can have the equipment

shipped to your home in return for a $100
deposit, which is refundable when you
return the equipment.
Find out more about this exciting
new Bell & Howell Schools program. There's
no obligation.
is

For free facts, mail attached card today!

18

POPULAR ELECTRONICS

Including Electronics World

Let Bell & Howell Schools help you get ready for an exciting career

or business of your own in two -way radio electronic communications!

Beil & Howell Schools has helped thousands of people
prepare for careers -and businesses of their own -in
electronics. You can have absolute confidence in the
thorough training you get.
Expert instructors at Bell & Howell Schools
plan each program to answer a single question: "What
qualifications will you need to take advantage of actual
career opportunities in electronics ?" They then build
each program to give you those exact qualifications.
To get ready for a business of your own in two way radio, you need: 1) career- oriented training; 2) FCC
License; 3) "hands on" experience with commercialgrade equipment. Bell & Howell Schools now offers this
new at -home training program that gives you all three.
(See FCC License Warranty on attached card.)
JUST LOOK AT ALL THE EQUIPMENT

YOU'LL WORK WITH

DURING YOUR TF.AINING PROGRAM
WITH BELL & HOWELL SCHOOLS!
exactly
Commercial -Bald FM Transceiver
the kind of two -way radio you'll service throughout
your career

...

REGULATIONS GIVE YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESS!

The Federal Communications Commission requires that all commercial two -way communications
systems be checked and serviced by a licensed technician at regular intervals.
As a Bell & Howell Schools graduate, you'll
have the technical know -how you need. With your FCC
license, you can go out and eventually build your own
business -signing contracts with companies that use
two-way radio. FCC regulations could mean security
and regular income for you!
FCC

BELL & HOWELL SCHOOLS OFFERS YOU

THESE SPECIAL ADVANTAGES:

Help Sessions Scheduled regularly every few

Saturdays at the Bell & Howell Schools and in many
other cities throughout the U.S. and Canada. Top instructors give you personal help and guidance.
Transfer Privileges After completion, you can
transfer to any of the resident schools for more advanced study, if you wish.
Lifetime National Placement Assistance Helps
and
you locate a job after you complete your program
throughout your career
Veterans' Benefits We are approved by the
state approval agency for Veterans' Benefits.
Student Financial Aid We are an eligible institution under the Federally Insured Student Loan
Program.

EXCLUSIVE ELECTRO -LAB

YOURS TO KEEP!
To make sure you get prac-

tical experience with instruments used daily by

professionals, we've
integrated into your
program three precision instruments
you assemble yourself
and keep:

Design Console Use this

to rapidly "breadboard"
circuits without soldering.
Oscilloscope Offers bright,
sharp screen images, 3 -way
jacks for leads, plugs.
Transistorized Meter Registers
current, voltage and resistance.

Deviation Mete.'

... model

favored by many
working technicians to check
modulation of transmitted signal.
Frequency Meter ..
highly sensitive instrument used to
check signal frequency within precise
tolerances established by government
standards.
meter
Power Output Meter
used almost universally by trained and
licensed technicians to check power output
or wattage-of signal.
.

DETACH AND MAIL

POSTAGE -FREE CARD

TODAY! OR WRITE:

...

... a

Alignment Generator

custom -designed unit

you use to generate test
signals for transceiver
alignment.

MAY 1973

An E'ectronics Home Study School

DEVRV Institute
0M or THE

of TED-money

BELL E HOWELL SCHOOLS

4141 Belmont, Chicago,

Illinois 60641

406R3

21

News Highlights
Engineers' Salaries Continue Gain
Results of the tenth biennial survey of engineers' salaries, just released by the Engineering Manpower Commission of Engineers Joint
Council, indicate that the long -term rising trend was hardly affected
by the unemployment crisis of the last two years. Only at the starting
level for new graduates just entering employment were salaries noticeably held back, with an average annual increase of one percent. For
more experienced engineers, salaries rose between 3.3 and 4.3 percent
per year since 1970, thus keeping generally abreast of the rising

consumer price index during the two -year period. The overall average
annual salary for all engineers in 1972, without regard to age, type
of employer, supervisory status, or degree level, was $17,750. Half
of all engineers' salaries were between the limits of $$20,350 and
$ 13,900.

Computerized Freeway Traffic Control

A computerized control station to transmit advisory traffic messages for an experimental freeway sign system has begun operating
in Los Angeles. There are 35 special signs along an 11 -mile stretch
of the Santa Monica Freeway median strip. Data from roadway
sensors and TV- equipped helicopters is transmitted to the control
station and displayed on its console. The operator then selects appropriate advisory messages and displays them on signs. One hundred
preset messages can be sent from the console, or the operator can
type in additional messages by teletypewriter. The control system was
designed and built by GTE Sylvania.

Consumer Products Show Increases in Imports and Exports

Television, home radio, phonographs and tape equipment all showed

increases in imports in 1972 over imports in 1971, according to the
Electronic Industries Association. Total television imports of 6,375,785
sets in 1972 were 17 percent over the 5,448,873 sets imported in
1971. Home radio imports of 40,159,210 sets in 1972 were up 29.6
percent over the 30,988,437 sets imported in 1971. Phonograph imports of 2,451,406 sets were up 27.3 percent over the 1,925,608 sets
imported in 1971. Imports of tape equipment, transceivers, record
changers and turntables also showed increases in 1972 over 1971.
Exports of all categories of consumer electronics showed increases in
1972 over exports in 1971.
Sony to Build Picture Tube Factory in U.S.

The Sony Corp. announced that it will build a plant in suburban

San Diego, California, to manufacture Trinitron color TV picture
tubes. The tube plant will have about 170,000 square feet of floor
space, and will be designed to allow for future expansion. The plant
will incorporate advanced design, technology and production facilities.
The tubes will be used exclusively in the company's TV sets assembled
in Sony's existing San Diego facility which started operation last
22

POPULAR ELECTRONICS Including Electronics World

August and is now assembling 6000 sets a month. Output is expected

to increase to 20,000 units per month by the end of this year.
REACT Opposes FCC Plan to Boost CB License Fees

The FCC has proposed an increase in CB license fees from $20 to

$25 for stations with up to five units. In addition an increased fee of
$1 per unit in excess of five units has been proposed by the FCC.
REACT National Headquarters points out that 80 percent of their
active teams have obtained a Team License for more efficient operation. Because of the large number of units in such teams, the $1 per
unit proposal will hit these teams hard and has been referred to as
prohibitive, double taxation. The increase in basic license fee would,
according to REACT, result in an increase in illegal, unlicensed
operation on the CB band.
Electronics Technicians and Dealers Increase
According to a survey conducted by NEA (National Electronic Association) the number of TV service dealers (shops) has increased
from 63,087 in 1970 to 74,000 in 1973. Some of this increase is due
to the larger number of reporting states in the current survey. NEA's
estimate of the total number of electronics technicians working in

consumer electronics is now 204,000. Both full time and part time
technicians are covered. There is an average of just under 3 technicians per service shop.

Minicomputer "Talks" to Blind

Over 5000 blind people in the Boston area have a new friend in a
talking computer system that allows then to type letter- perfect cor-

respondence, proofread manuscripts, calculate bookkeeping problems,

and write computer programs. The first of these systems is operating at
the Protestant Guild for the Blind in Watertown, Mass. It is built
around a Data General minicomputer. A blind person types his information into the computer using ordinary telephone lines to carry
the signals. The computer responds to the blind typist in words and
sentences telling him precisely what he has typed or giving him
the results of indicated commands or computations.
Two -Eyed Television Camera Tube
A new TV camera tube with two "eyes" or targets will enhance the
performance and lower the cost of single -tube color TV cameras. The
luminance (black and white) portion of the picture is projected onto
one target and the chroma (color) information, in suitably encoded
form, onto the second target. The tube, introduced by RCA, provides
excellent registry between the luminance and chroma information
without additional auxiliary coils because the beams generated by its
two electron guns are controlled by a single magnetic focus and deflection system. These beams read out the stored picture information
from the two targets and provide simultaneous output signals that
can be superimposed with precision.

Tariff Commission Clears Japanese Color -TV Tubes

The Tariff Commission has notified the Secretary of the Treasury
that an industry in the United States is not being and is not likely
to be injured or prevented from being established by reason of imports
from Japan of color television picture tubes sold at less than fair
value. The merchandise is therefore not subject to special dumping
duties.
MAY 1973

23

quality. Heathkit Electronics

For full spectrum color, black & white

GR -900

Ji

/ReM

59095*

17Q95*

(INCLUDES CABINET)

(LESS CABINET)

...and staying out of the red.

(INCLUDES CHARGER)
See them all at your Heathkit Electrons

Center... or

send

for Free 13 Heathkit Catalog.

HEATHNIT ELECTRONIC SEATERS

ARIL, Phoenix.

2727 W. Ind,an School Rd.; CALIF.: Anaheim, 330 E. Batt Rd.; El Cerrito, 000
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3462.66 W. Devon Ave.: Downers Gore, 224 Ogoen Ave.: IND.: Nhdianapelis, 2112 E, 02nd Ave.:
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24

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Including Electronics World

Heathkit
4- Channel Amplifier
with Universal Decoder...359.9:5*
(less cabinet)

selec: discrete 4- channel, or

switch -in the "Universal" decoder for
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YOU

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It's the most advanced TV circuitry you can build. Yet everything goes together with
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at -home maintenance and self-service add further savings over the life of the set.
With the GR -900 you pre-set any 12 UHF stations for positive pushbutton power tuning,
and you can scan both UHF and VHF channels in either direction. An ultra -rectangular
black matrix tube, voltage controlled varactor UHF tuner, MOSFET VHF tuner and an
exclusive angular tint control for consistently better flesh tones combine to produce an
absolutely brilliant color picture. There are four preassembled and finished cabinets
to choose from, plus the Heathkit Wall Mount and wireless remote control option. Any
way you look at it, the Heathkit GR -900 is one of the most rewarding kits you can
build. Mailing weight, 125 lbs.

New Heathkit Solid -State B &W 19V Portable TV- a truly extraordinary set
The new Heathkit GR -1900 is like no other B &W portab =el With advanced solid -state
"modular" design most circuitry mounts on just four plug-in boards. Dependable

solid-state circuitry, including 23 transistors, 13 diodes, 2 ICs, and just 2 tubes; picture
& high voltage. Total detent tuning on all 70 UHF channels as well as VHF. "Instant On" for sound and pictures at a touch
plus other "big -set" front panel control features such as VHF /UHF fine tuning; brightness; contrast: master on/off; vertical hold;
AGC: and height. New Ultrarectangular picture tube for a full 184 sq. in. viewing area.
Automatic Vertical Linearity for rock- steady pictures
feature usually found only on
expensive color sets. Dual -Controlled AGC for improved picture /noise ratio another
"big -set" bonus feature. Extra -wide Video Bandwidth for theater-quality black -andwhite pictures. Four circuits (most sets have only 3) in the grounded base VHF tuner
for superior cross modulation in dense station areas. With all this, the GR -1900 is a
kit even the novice can build. Both tuners come preassembled and aligned, transistors
& ICs plug into sockets, and all chassis wiring is color coded. For truly extraordinary
performance in B &W TV, you've got it all in the GR-1900. Mailing weight, 56 lbs.

-a

New Heathkit Desk -top Calculator an outstanding kit-form value.

The Heathkit IC -2108 features a sleek, low- profile case with bright 1'2" readout tubes
in an 8 -digit display one of the largest, most legible in the industry. The color -coded
keyboard is human engineered to slope down to the desk so you can rest your arm
while using. And the IC -2108 is loaded with features: Four arithmetic functions. Floating and fixed decimal. Constant key. Chain calculation capability. Clear display key.
Entry and result overflow indicators. Negative number indicator. 120/240 VAC operation. In addition, the IC -2108 is amazingly simple to build. Two spare evenings will do it.
Klt IC-2108, 4 lbs.

New Heathkit "Pocketable" Calculator you can service it yourself

The Heathkit IC -2009 is first a self- contained portable, weighing in at 11 oz. and small
enough to fit in your coat pocket, but it's a desk -top calculator too. The internal
Nickte-Cadmium battery gives five to eight hours use between charges. Or, the IC2009 can be left connected to its charger for indefinite operation. And unlike other
pocket calculators, the Heathkit IC -2009 is designed to be maintained by you. Plug+n keyboard and display boards, plus a complete troubleshooting section in the manual,
make it easy and economical. Add up the features for yourself: 8 -digit capacity. Four
arithmetic functions. Full floating decimal. Constant key. Chain calculation capability. Clear entry key. Entry and total overflow indicators. Negative answer indicator.
Battery -saver circuitry. Low battery indicator. Tactile- feedback keyboard for positive
entry indication. Order your IC -2009 now. You'll have it built in two or three evenings.
Mailing weight, 3 lbs.

Heathkit
Universal Decoder for 4-channel
conversion ... 39.95'
Reproduces all mstrixed discs, pees
"derived" 41- channel from conventional stereo materials. Plug it into your
receiver's tape monitor circuit, adc a
second stereo amp and speakers and
you're set. Kit AD -2022, 4 lbs.

Heathkit
Ultrasonic Intrusion
Alarm looks like a book

... 49.95'

Disguised as an ordinary library book,

this novel device fits unobtrusively
anywhere in the nome. Transmitter
disperses a 41 kHz signal which
bounces off walls and returns to the
receiver where it's monitored for any
change in amplitude. Triggers ligt Es
and any conventional alarm device
just plug tham into AC outlets on the
rear panel. Can be installed anywhere
there's a 120 VAC outlet. An enjoyable
2- evening kit. Kit GD-39, 4 tbs.

Schlumberger
SEND FOR YOUR

1973 HEATHKIT

CATALOG
it describes
more than
350 Heathkit projects

HEATH COMPANY, Dept.

A smartly styled, great sounding solid-

Benton Harbor, Michigan 49022

Please send FREE Heathkit Catalog.
Enclosed is b
plus snipping.
Please send model (s)
Name

Address
City

tate
'Mail order prices; F.O.B. factory

CIRCLE NO.
MAY 1973

10-5

20

Heathkit
AM Radio can be built in
one evening ... 14.95'
G111-1008

Zip

CL-464R

state radio that makes a great introduction to Heathkt building. Eighttransistor circuitry- mounts on one
,

pr nted bcard,

fig

3 1/2"

speaker

mounts in high impact plastic case.

Ill 'you've never built a kit before you
cam probaby have this one together
in one fun eveninc. Uses 9 -volt battery (not supplied).. Order the Heathkit GR -1008; for yourself or the kips.
Kit GR -1008; 2 lbs.

ON READER SERVICE CARD

25

BY
L. GEORGE

LAWRENCE

Electro 111 cs anti

How electronics is used to detect water pollution

Fig. 1. Skimming and aeration system at

and water are inseparable.

no solvent substitute for water.
Unfortunately, methods of controlling pollution of this precious liquid are grossly inadequate, inviting the invention and application of new engineering principles. We
are fortunate, however, in having a good set
of electronic instrumentation systems which
provide valuable data on polluting contributories. Thus, pre- precention of pollution can
be as effective as pollution control "after the
fact," so to speak. But much more work lies
ahead. Let's see what has been and what
can be done in this critical area.
The Federal government saw the writing
on the wall early in 1948. It enacted the
first water-pollution control act which had
a five -year expiration date. The first permanent water -pollution control act (P. L.
84 -660) became law in 1956. It has been
strengthened several times. The Water Quality Act of 1965 emerged as a key feature of

LIFEThere is

26

water treatment plant.

the clean -water program because it required all states to establish water- quality
standards for their interstate and coastal
waters. La:er, in 1968, the National Technical Advisory Committee to the Secretary of
the Interior submitted its report on water quality criteria. This 215 -page document
reflects, as shown in Table 1, the enormous
difficulty of removing a dangerous family of
agricultural and related pollutants from
drinking water. The situation has become
ex en more serious because of mercury and
oil pollution of marine life. Here, if vital
oxygen and food chains are disturbed, we
most anticipate catastrophic consequences
to our day -to -day existence.

The typical amnicipal water plant is not

electronics-oriented, but devices such as
thermistors, pH meters, and the like may be
employed for genera' control purposes. To
improve water quality, brute -power techniques such as sk:mmirlg and aeration (Fig.
POPULAR ELECTRONICS In_!Jding Electronics World

water Quality Control

so that it can be readily prevented.
1), sedimentation, flocculation, and filtration
are frequently employed to remove suspended materials. These may be augmented by
methods of reducing water hardness and the
application of disinfectants to improve
bacteriological quality. The water is considered safe for consumption once it leaves
the plant. Thus, for electronic and other
quality controls to be effective, monitoring
and anti- pollution measures must be installed and operated at plant feeders.
Water Parameters. We have a total of
about fifteen measurable parameters of water. Some of these can be monitored electronically, while others lend themselves to
chemical analyses only. Taken together, they
are:
1. Alkalinity: Its measurement allows conclusions on the carbonate /bicarbonate concentration as distinguished from organic

carbon.
2. Chloride Ion: Chloride at high levels is
undesirable for health reasons.
3. Conductivity: Measurements discern
the amount of dissolved solids (salts) in
water. High levels indicate pollution by
brines or inorganic chemicals, leaching of
salts from watersheds, and the like.
4. Dissolved Oxygen: Perhaps the most
important of water parameters. Organic pollution from sewage and certain industries
can destroy oxygen concentration, making
water totally useless; it cannot support
aquatic life nor be used for recreational
purposes.
5. Flow Rate (Velocity): Measurement is
necessary to correlate, and perhaps explain,
changes in other parameters.
6. Fluoride Ion: High fluoride concentrations cause tooth mottling. If fluorides are
absent, dental caries increase. Industrial
users of fluorides might leak excessive
amounts into water supplies.
7. Hardness: Not desirable, because of
treatment costs, especially if water is intended for domestic use.
MAY 1973

8. Nitrate: Pollution arises from decomposing organic matter, agricultural fertilizers,

and the like, Extremely dangerous to newborn children ( causes methemoglobinemia
or "blue baby ").
9. Oxidation Reduction Potential: Measurements are designed to discern industrial
wastes containing powerful reducing and
oxidizing agents.
10. pH: A pH of 7.0 (pure water) is desired. Respective measurements provide data
on sea -water (pH 8.2) leakage into water
supplies, detect pollution from acidic or
basic wastes entering feeder streams, etc.
Data permits formulation of conclusions on
stream quality, its corrosion potentials, and
long -term forecasting of quality.
11. Sodium Ion: High -level sodium concentrations are undesirable for health reasons. Measurements can detect sea -water intrusion, dumping of brine wastes, etc.
12. Sunlight: Visible electromagnetic radiation from the sun is vital to production of
algae which transform carbon dioxide back
to oxygen. Thus, the recuperative power of
organically polluted streams depends upon
sunlight.
13. Temperature: Its measurement provides data on the pollution capacity and recovery potential of streams. Thermal pollution of the sea, especially where condensing systems of nuclear and other power
plants are involved, must be monitored on
behalf of marine and other life.
14. Turbidity: Its measurements is closely
related to item #12, sunlight. Turbid water
attenuates sunlight penetration and its beneficial actions, thus increasing cost of water
treatment.
15. Total Carbon Inventory: In a stream,
carbonaceous material directly relates to dissolved- oxygen levels.
No composite electronic instrument exists
to measure all of these interrelated parameters simultaneously. Typical apparatus
uses sensors, each of which has a purposedesignated function.
27

OP
AMP.

TO ALARM CIRCUITS

RI
CA LIB,

CAL IB.
TEST
BUTTON

A.C. POWER
SUPPLY

CLIPPER
DI

CONDUCTIVITY CELL.
WITH BUSHING

Basic circuit of water conductivity tester using

submersed electrodes in fluid.
Fig. 2.

PIPE

SUBMERSED ELECTRODES
FLUID

Electronics. One of the simplest and most

widely used methods for detecting water
pollution is the electronic measurement of
its conductivity. A typical testing device responds to the number of ions in a water
sample, i.e., atoms which carry a positive or
negative electric charge due to having lost
or gained an electron, respectively. Here, if
a potential difference exists between two
electrodes in a given solution, current flows,
the magnitude of which is related to the
conductivity (micromhos /cm) of the solution.
A basic, highly reliable instrument is
shown schematically in Fig. 2. A sine -wave
output voltage is provided by the ac power

supply, clipped in a zener -diode arrangement and fed, via submersed electrodes, to
the base of transistor Ql. Meter Ml may be
calibrated for a quiescent reading CO") by
depressing the calibration test button and
setting the calibration potentiometer RI accordingly. An operational amplifier, a do op
amp, is connected across Ml and provides
drive currents for remote alarm circuits, a
metering device, and the like. The instrument's meter and over-all net dc output can
be calibrated against a standard conduction
sample.
Fig. 3 represents a refinement of the circuit shown in Fig. 2. Again, the ac voltage
is clipped (to provide a stable drive voltage
READOUT,
ALARM,
ETC.

VOLTAGE

CALIBRATOR
CELL DRIVE
CURRENT

')

DETECTOR

RANGE
SWITCH

Fig. 3. Schematic of a water conductivity cell used with a thermistor.

'WATER CONDUCTIVITY
(CELL WITH THERMISTOR
I

L_

28

-J

POPULAR ELECTRONICS

Including Electronics World

Fig. 4. Commercial water conductivity meter.

regardless of line fluctuations) and fed via

a calibrating potentiometer for the conductivity -cell drive current into an operational
amplifier and the follow -up readout detector.
The voltage across the conductivity cell is
varied according to the thermistor resistance,
the thermistor compensating for the conductivity temperature dependence of the water
being measured. If, for example, the water's
temperature is 25 C, the meter will read the
actual conductivity of the water directly. If
the temperature differs from 25' C, the
thermistor will cause the meter's sensitivity
to change. Thus, 25 C becomes a calibration constant.
Fig. 4 shows a complete meter, the
Balsbaugh Model 915. Like similar instruments, its tracking can be checked with a
decade resistance box, using values of resistance obtained from the equatioc: meter
reading (mhos) = (1 /megolrus) X cell
constant. For example, a resistance cf 4000
ohms will indicate 25 N.mhos /cm on a monitor which uses a conductivity cell constant
of 0.1. Such cells may consist of titaniumpalladium electrodes with Penton insulation,
a Teflon-coated threaded stainless -steel
bushing, with the thermistor potted in the
center electrode for exact temperature reFig. 5. Central water quality control room.

MAY

1973

sponse. Graphite electrodes may also be

used, plus similar composition materials. It
is important to remember that alternating
current must be used in conductivity testers
to avoid chemical changes, including electrolysis, in the solution next to the electrodes.
"Polarization," as this phenomenon is
termed, can generate galvanic error currents
and introduce undesirable readout anomalies. As a general guide for obtaining
quality data, the following water- conductivity figures are useful:

Pure Water
Distilled Water
0.05% Salt
Sea Water

Specific
Specific
Resistivity Conductivity
( mho ;'cm )
( ohm /cm)
0.05
20 megohms
1.00
1 megohm
1000.00
1000
33,000.00
30

Electronics can replace the old "grab

sample" method of obtaining water samples
and subjecting them to analyses. Typically,
in a large-city water -control system, raw
ANTENNA
STREAM CHAMBER

BLOOD

BODY

TMR.

WASTES

BIOCHEMICAL
AND
81OEL ECTRIC

ANALYZER
REMOTE CABLE

Fig.

Electronically

6.

fish is

new

idea

monitored

living

in quality control.

river water is pumped through a flow chamber to a plenum containing a series of small
funnels. These funnels, filled and overflowing, pass water samples against sensors.
Each of them provides low- voltage outputs
(about 0 -5 volts) proportional to the value
of the variable being measured.
An excellent water -data acquisition system of this type is used by the Metropolitan
Sanitary District of Greater Chicago ( Chicagoland). The District covers some 850
square miles and provides water and sewage
services for a population of 5,500.000 plus
an industrial equivalent to 3,000.000 peo29

ple. There are 71 miles of inland waterways

under its jurisdiction. To provide and maintain superior water -quality control, the District uses eleven monitoring stations, three
secondary receiving stations, and one central
receiving station.
Fig. 5 shows Chicagoland's central control room. In the foreground is a Bristol
Data -Master control data logger. The map
TABLE
IA FOR

1-WATER -QUALITY CRITER-

PUBLIC WATER SUPPLIES

Constituent*

Total dissolved solids

Sulfate
Chloride

Nitrate (as

N)

Permissible

Desirable

criteria

criteria

(mg /I)

(mg /I)

500
250
250

200 **
50 **
25 **
Virtually

10

absent
Insecticides
Organic phosphates
Lindane
DDT

Heptachlor
Aldrin
Dieldrin
Toxaphene

Chlordane
Endrin

0.056
0.042

Absent
Absent
Absent

0.018
0.017
0.017

Absent
Absent
Absent

0.005
0.003
0.001

Absent
Absent
Absent

0.1

Absent

0.1

Herbicides
2,4D plus 2,4,5 -T
plus 2,4,5 -TP

*Conventional water treatment processes have

little, if any, effect on these constituents.
* *Less than.

'n the background shows the area serviced.

All eleven of the monitoring stations measure

dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH, water

temperature, oxidation reduction potential
(ORP) , dissolved chlorides, and turbidity.
Solar radiation intensity (SRI) is monitored
at five stations. Sensor data is fed into volt age-to- frequency converters and sent by
voice-grade telephone lines to readouts. The
signals are audio tones transmitted over
multiplexers. This insures maximum use of
the lines, since several signals may be transmitted concurrently. Also featured are an
integral test signal, a signal to indicate loss
of water in the sampling flow chamber, and
indication of signal failure.
Looking Ahead. What is the future for
water -quality monitoring and

electronic
30

control? At this moment, we have research

trends in various areas. Biological -type
sensors are a fascinating aspect of this R&D.
One basic idea of a biological -type sensor
is shown in Fig. 6. Here, the organism of a
living creature
fish in this case
envisioned as an ultra-effective and accurate
control instrument. As shown, it is feasible
to monitor a fairly complete set of the animal's organic reactions to environmental
changes. If, for example, variations in water
parameters occur, reactions will be triggered
in both biochemical and bioelectric areas
which are available for analysis by relatively simple electronic instruments and follow up by traditional telemetry. Unfortunately,
one of the big problems encountered here is
how to sustain the life of the fish in pure
water; that is, water which contains no nutrients of any kind. So this idea might have
to be dropped in spite of its inherent prom-

-a

-is

ise.

However, excellent progress continues to

be made in the reverse -osmosis process
which provides water of exceptional quality.
Developed by Culligan International Co.,
the purification technique is based upon the
age-old principle by which plants obtain
their nourishment and human cells transport
fluids. When two fluids are separated by a
semipermeable membrane, there is a normal
flow from the more dilute fluid to the more
concentrated fluid-or osmosis. Reverse osmosis is just the opposite. In water technology, pressure furnished by a pump is applied to the more concentrated fluid (like
brackish or saline water) which forces water to pass through the membrane. The latter
is permeable to the water per se, but less
permeable to water impurities. Result: The
water is separated from its impurities.
Current capacities of the reverse-osmosis
system range from 6000 to 60,000 gallons
per day. While not an electronic machine as
such, it provides high -quality water for the
manufacture of transistors. The best quality
of the distilled water used previously was 2
megohms. The reverse- osmosis system upgraded this value to 18 megohms! The ultra pure water is used to rinse transistor wafers
after each photo- resist and etching process.
In short, we are approaching an excellent
state -of -the art. But much research and applied research need to be done to preserve
a basic human right-the right to have pure
water. It's a good sign, perhaps, that electronics is so well suited to maintain and improve the status quo.
O
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unique
digital
clock
TELLS TIME AND TEACHES BINARY ARITHMETIC

("

BY GLENN YOUNG Semiconductor Products Div., Motorola, Inc.

AVING trouble learning binary arithmetic? How about learning to tell time
on a clock that has a binary readout? It's the
latest thing in digital clocks -and quite a
conversation piece.
As shown in the schematic in Fig. 1, the
input to Schmitt trigger QI and Q2 is the
60-Hz power -line frequency from the secondary of Tl. The trigger converts the
sinusoidal waveform into a rectangular
wave of the same frequency to drive the
digital counter made up of ICI through
IC3. The circuit divides by 60 to produce
one pulse per second. This pulse then drives
the "seconds" LED flasher (DI) through
Q3 and also triggers another divide -bv-60
counter (IC4 through IC6) whose output is
one pulse per minute.
Each of these division stages consists of
an JIFC6020, a dual T flip -flop that has a
single input and output and produces one
output pulse for every two input pulses.
When cascaded together, the six flip -flops in
101 through IC3 ( and IC4 through IC6)
would divide by 64. However, the circuit is
-fooled" by feedback to provide only 60
divisions. Each time this transition occurs,
capacitor Cl or C2 injects a short pulse into
the input of its associated divider. This pulse
is counted just as if it were a normal input
pulse. As four extra pulses are generated, the
chain actually counts to 64 after receiving
only 60 input pulses. Although this is an
economical way to count, it cannot be decoded for use as a counter register because
it does not contain the true count.
The minutes counter (IC7 -1C12) is another form of divide -by -60 counter which
uses AND gates (IC9 and IC11) to decode
the 60th count and reset the divider chain
MAY 1973

1C7, IC8, and IC10) through IC12 to a

zero count. The outputs of the divider, now
containing the true count, are fed to Q4-Q9
to drive the 1- 2- 4- 9 -16 -32 minute LED indicators. The output of the minutes counter
(

drives the hours counter (IC13- IC16), a

divide-by-12 circuit decoded by IC15 and
reset to one through 1016. Transistors Q10Q13 drive the hour LED's.

Construction. There are two printed circuit boards in the clock; a large one that
holds the IC's, transistors, etc., and a smaller
one for the LED readouts. The large board
pattern is shown in Fig. 2. Be sure all IC's
are properly oriented -the dot on the IC
indicates pin 1. Three resistors (Rl, R7, and
R9) are mounted vertically, with their upper
ends serving as the circuit contacts.
The pattern for the LED board is also
shown in Fig. 2. The LED's are polarized
with the cathode leads (the ones going to
the transistors) having square ends when
viewed through the plastic case from the
bottom. It is this lead that is soldered to the
small pieces of foil next to each LED hole.
The LED's are mounted with the glass tips
protruding through the holes in the board,
toward the non -foil side of the board.
The power supply can be built in any
convenient place within the case, whose
selection is left up to the builder. In the
prototype, a sloping-front wooden enclosure
was used, with the LED board forming the
front (sloping) panel. The other PC board
was mounted vertically in the enclosure. The
actual clock face (the LED's protruding
through the non-foil side of the board) was
covered with black construction paper having holes for the LED's. The connections
31

1.1

PO
o

.4-

Np

mP

O
V

C'V

ti

32

POPULAR ELECTRONICS Including

Electronics World

PARTS LIST

C1,C2-470 -pF disc capacitor

C3- 3300 -pF disc capacitor

C4- 500 -F, 50 -volt electrolytic
D1- D11- MLED600 (Motorola)

capacitor

D12,D13- 1N4001 diode

1C1- 106,1C13- MFC6020 (Motorola)

1C7,1C8,IC10,1C14-MFC6050 (Motorola)
IC9,1C11,1C15- MFC6060 (Motorola)
1C12,1C16- MFC6080 (Motorola)
Q1,Q2- MPSA70 (Motorola)
Q3- Q13- MPSA10 (Motorola)
R1,R8,R10- R15,R17 -R20-470 -ohm resistor
R2,R4 6200 -ohm resistor
R3 -1000 -ohm resistor
R5- 33,000 -ohm resistor
R6-3600 -ohm resistor
R7,R9-4700 -ohm resistor
R16- 330 -ohm resistor
Sl -S3 -Spdt switch
TI-Transformer; secondary 30V CT, lA
(Chicago-Stancor P -8609 or similar)
Misc.-Suitable enclosure, line cord, grommet, rubber feet (4).

SI

SI

JUMPER

- ?i*

R7

Rg

--CI

..R6.. I
R3

O2

jl'

OS

03

Q6

DC

----- I CI5

-~-IC9

1
R+

L RIi
C

R13

~R12-*

D}IO

j2C

--1C14 --a

..

I...

e*S3

C2

DB^'."-a

RII

IC3

Ti `s1

t
R2

04

D2

IIC2

ICI

R5

RFMh--

011
T

t t 1I t

1:111*
MS

RI4
i 07

D6
P---

04

D8

j
?

(Olo

--

tI_+7i

mr.

R16

--

IC

11-RIS0

-- -"--4
a>!

IC13

DI

R8

D3

+VCC GND

Fig. 2. Upper right are foil patterns.

Component layouts above and at right.

between the two boards are made with #22

or #26 insulated wire.
Once the clock is assembled, place SI on
sET and S2 and S3 on RUN. When power is
applied, some LED's will come on. Putting
S2 on SET should cause the minutes LED's
to cycle at about one per second in a binary
MAY 1973

fashion. Placing S3 on SET should cause

them to cycle faster. Use both S2 and S3
to set the correct time on the clock. Then
put them both on RUN and set Si to NORM.
The seconds LED should blink at the proper
one -per- second rate. The clock is now ready
to operate.
33

EFFECT/VE
RA IJIA7ED

POWER

HOW TO CALCULATE ACTUAL R -F OUTPUT

AND SOME WAYS TO IMPROVE IT

BY GLADDEN B. HOUCK, JR.

MAXIMUM effective radiated transmitter

power is the aim of all CB and ham
radio operators. This is evident from the
fact that so much effort and money go into

improving transmitter efficiency-matching

devices, tuning couplers, SWR bridges,
beam antennas, etc. There are many factors
involved, actually, in the struggle to get
maximum r -f output. Some are more important than others; but all are worth reviewing.
To start with, just how does one measure
transmitter power output? One way is to
use a commercial r-f wattmeter. An alternate method is to measure the voltage generated across a 50-ohm load with a conventional voltmeter using a high- frequency
probe that will operate at the frequency of
interest. This measured voltage can be converted into approximate r-f power for a 50ohm load by using the curve in Fig. 1.
A less accurate method of determining
r-f power output is to measure the do power (voltage and current) supplied to the
power amplifier when it is loaded by the
proper antenna and tuned to resonance. The
efficiency of this stage can be assumed to be
about 60 %. unless you have an actual figure supplied by the manufacturer. Thus, if
the final stage in a CB rig has about 13.2
volts on the collector and the collector current is 380 mA, the legal dc input rating of
5 watts is obtained. With 60% efficiency,
this would result in 3 watts of r-f at the

output terminal.
To keep all computations in terms that
point up the relative importance of any improvement, a dBW rating is used. By using
34

the scales in Fig. 1, we see that 3 watts is

equivalent to 4.8 dBW. This approach is
based on zero dB for one watt.
The least change in dB levels that the
ear can notice is about 3 dB ( a power level
change of 2 to 1) If the transmitter described above had a 100% efficiency, its
output would be 5 watts (7 dBW), less
than twice the level of the original 4.8 dBW,
a barely discernible improvement.
.

Line Losses. Transmission line losses are

of two types: direct losses and reflected mismatch losses. Direct losses are easy to determine since they are proportional to the
length of the transmission line, and they
depend on the type of coaxial cable used.
One of the common types of cable employed
for connecting the transmitter to the antenna is RG-58 /U. It has a loss rating of 0.022
dB per foot. If we assume that a typical
base station uses about 60 feet of cable, this
means a direct cable loss of -1.32 dB,
where the minus sign indicates a loss. Using
the same length of RG-8 /U cable with a rating of only 0.01 dB per foot, the direct cable
loss is -0.6 dB. This shows that the selection of coaxial cable can make a big difference in the transmitted signal level.
Reflected losses are measured by using
an SWR bridge or an in-line wattmeter.
The proper place to make these measurements is at the connection between the

transmission line and the antenna. Measurements made at the transmitter end of the
cable, although valid, are always lower due
to the cable losses which attenuate both the
direct and reflected signals to the bridge.
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The chart in Fig. 2 provides a means cf

converting SWR and reflected power into
dB losses. If a typical antenna system has a
measured SWR of 2.0, Fig. 2 shows that
the loss is -0.5 dB.

70

60

Antenna Gain. The gain of an antenna is

specified by its manufacturer in terms of
dB as compared to a standard dipole. Thus

50

a simple whip antenna about 96" long has

a gain of about +2.15 dB, while a multi -

element beam antenna may have a gain of

+11 dB or more. Since the gain of an antenna is difficult to measure without special
equipment, it is usually necessary to take
the manufacturer's word for it.
If we assume that a rig has 3 watts of
r -f output at the transmitter, 60 feet of RG58/U coaxial cable, an SWR of 2.0, and a
beam antenna having +11 dB gain. These
figures add up as follows: ( +4.8) +
(

-1.32) +

-0.5) +

+11) _ +14

dBW. Using Fig. 1. this converts to 25

watts of equivalent power.
Improvements in the transmission system
by lowering the SWR or changing the cable
to RG -8 U might raise the figure from +14
dBW to +15 dBW (effective radiated power of 32 watts) Note that this would only
improve the received signal strength by
.

+20

100

70

16
17

50
40

16
15

30

14
13

20

12
11

lo

+10

-55

dBW =1O LOG

F4

59

;3

4
3

1.0

0.7

-2

0.5

0.4

-5

0.3

6
7

0.2

-8
-9

0.1

10

20

30 40 50 70 1o

10

VOLTS('ms)

Fig. 1.
MAY

1973

Converting volts to watts and dBW.

&

LL

(_ \z
VS+1/

100

840

u
ti.

30
W

o.

0.20

.5

10

1.0

2.0

30

40

6.0

a 0

VSWR

Fig. 2. Finding reflectance loss from SWR.

16% which is not enough to make that
much difference, though every little bit
helps.
For CB'ers and hams, the best thing to
do is to use a directional high -gain multi element beam antenna. Antennas of this
type provide a dramatic improvement in
transmission and also assist in reception.
Since a beam antenna concentrates the energy (for both transmission and reception)
in a "tear -drop" pattern, with the sharp end
of the pattern at the antenna proper, it
focuses most of the transmitted energy toward the receiver at which it is aimed and
also provides much less pickup in the other
directions. This means a considerable reduction in the pickup of unwanted signals.
By properly aiming the antenna, distant
transmission and reception are considerably
improved.
In some situations, it is necessary to connect the SWR bridge at the junction of the
transmission line and the transmitter. Indications obtained in this manner must be
corrected for transmission line losses, with
the curve in Fig. 2 used to convert SWR to
dB of reflected power. Since the transmission line losses affect the SWR in both directions, the effect is to double the dB correction. Thus, if the SWR at the transmitter is 1.6, the reflected loss is 0.2 dB. If the
line losses are 1.0 dB each way, the total
O
for SWR correction is 2.2 dB.
35

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MAY 1973

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39

WHILE a great many people have recently become interested in electronic

music, few of them have any knowledge of
just what goes into generating the sounds
of this new music. In view of the fact that
the first Moog synthesizers were made
available only in 1964, this is not surprising. While electronic musical instruments
consist of basically simple circuits, or building blocks, the instrument itself is usually a

complex, sophisticated device.

Electronic musical instruments differ
markedly from conventional or traditional
musical instruments. Instead of reeds over
which streams of air must be blown, strings
which must be bowed or strummed, and diaphragms that must be tapped or beaten to
produce sounds, electronic instruments use
electrons to generate the signals that make
up the sounds and speakers for sound propagation. In appearance, an electronic musical instrument resembles a computer more
than a "musical" instrument. They are often
as complex as a computer to operate as well,
demanding of the composer and /or player
an expertise beyond the knowledge of musicology.
In this article, we will be discussing the
various electronic elements common to all
electronic musical instruments. We will he
approaching the subject from the operator/
user point of view with only slight emphasis on circuit theory from the designer's end.
Typical Generators. Periodic or cyclic
waveforms -sine, square, sawtooth, and triangle waves-form the backbone of electronic music generators (see Fig. 1) Most
instruments (synthesizers) contain as many
as several dozen oscillators, each capable of
simultaneously providing some, and frequently all, of the basic waveforms. Each
waveform has a distinctive sound quality all
its own, an important feature in electronic
music. It is necessary to have at least a basic
understanding of overtones (harmonics) to
understand why the waveforms have different characteristic sounds.
The sine wave is harmonically the least
complex of waveforms. It contains no overtones. This means that a 200 -Hz sine wave
concentrates all of its energy at 200 Hz and
no other frequency. A 200 -Hz triangle
wave, on the other hand, consists of the
algebraic sum of many sine waves of different numerically related frequencies and
amplitudes. The major portion of a triangle
wave's energy is concentrated in the 200-Hz

SINE WAVE
(NO OVERTONES)

TIME

-+

TRIANGLE WAVE
(ODD OVERTONES)

SQUARE WAVE
(SOME ODD OVERTONES)

SAW TOOTH
(EVEN +ODD HARMONICS)

40

WHITE NOISE

(ALL OVERTONES
POSSIBLE)

Fig. 1. These are the basic waveforms

involved in

the synthesis

of

music.

fundamental frequency. But since a triangle

wave contains a number of odd harmonics,
energy will also be channeled into the odd harmonic frequencies (600, 1000, 1400
Hz, etc.) The higher the frequency, or
harmonic, the smaller the amount of energy it receives. The third harmonic receives 11 percent of the energy contained in
the fundamental, the fifth harmonic receives 4 percent, the seventh harmonic receives 2 percent, and the ninth harmonic
receives only 1 percent.
.

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by Craig AndPrton

ELECTRONIC

MUSIC
SYNTHESIZERS
How and where

do those
great sounds

originate?

Square waves contain some odd harmonics, the content depending on whether the
wave is perfectly square or rectangular.
Sawtooth waves contain strong even and
odd harmonics.
Waveforms with generous amounts of
harmonics are easy to modify. By cutting
out certain overtones, such as all harmonics
above an arbitrary frequency, the essential
nature and sound of the wave changes. Different waveforms can also be used to give
"emotional" shading to a piece of music.
MAY 1973

A sequence of notes consisting of sine

waves will yield a different emotional response than would the same sequence of

square -wave notes.

The "white- noise" generator is a type of
special -purpose audio generator used in
electronic music. In theory, it generates a
wave that contains all possible frequencies
with all possible relationships at the same
time. It sounds like falling rain or escaping
steam.
Basic Modifiers. just as there are circuits
that generate sounds, there are also circuits
that modify or "process" those sounds. Two
of the most basic processors in common use
are the amplifier and the filter. The amplifier is extremely valuable in electronic music
because it controls the dynamic aspect
crescendo and diminuendo -of a sound.
The filter is a somewhat more complex circuit. It is an amplifier that controllably restricts the frequency response in one of
three ways.
As a low -pass filter, it can cut off the
high end of the audio spectrum. The high pass configuration can be used when it is
desired to cut off the low end of the spectrum. When both ends of the spectrum are
to be cut off, a bandpass filter is used. As
shown in Fig. 2, the cutoff frequency of a
low -pass filter or a high -pass filter is the frequency at which the filter starts to attenuate
the signal, while the resonant frequency of a
handpass filter is the frequency at which the
greatest amount of boost (or minimum
amount of cut) is present.
Because the timbre of a sound depends
largely on its harmonic content, and since
the desired harmonic content lies above the
fundamental frequency of a signal, variable cutoff low -pass filters that selectively attenuate certain overtones are used for modifying the timbre of various waveforms.

Enter Voltage Control. With the oscillator,

amplifier, and filter, a sound can be specified
according to waveform, pitch, timbre, and
dynamic level. But without voltage control,
a' system consisting of these three building
blocks has serious limitations. By using voltage control, the major parameters of the
building blocks are made to respond to a dc
or an ac voltage.
A voltage -controlled oscillator (vco) has
its pitch controlled not by turning a potentiometer, but by applying to it a control
voltage. The cutoff frequency of a filter (vcf)
41

or the gain of an amplifier (vca) can be

similarly controlled by a variable dc voltage.

V-4-

For example, the amplifier shown in Fig. 3

has a conventional audio input, but instead
lo
{IOUT
of using a potentiometer level control, a
voltage is applied to the input to control the
gain. A -4 -volt potential is sufficient to cut
iUDIOC
off Q1 and reduce the gain to zero. By slowly making the control voltage less negative,
the gain will increase until the amplifier is
operating at full gain at 0 volt. (In the
M
S
oscillators used in Moog and ARP synthesizers, a 1 -volt change in control voltage
causes a one- octave jump in frequency; so,
CONTROL
by applying stepped increments of 1/12 of
VOLTAGE IN
a volt, the 12 tones of a conventional musi(NOTE: IN PRACTICE, THE SLOPE
cal scale can be generated.)
IS NOT LINEAR, BUT SOMEWHAT
CURVED)
Z
Because it requires much technique to precisely specify frequency, amplifier gain, etc.,
0
simply by having the musician turn a poten- -4 -3 -2 -I
CONTROL VOLTAGE
tiometer, most electronic music composers
Fig. 3. Circuit of an amplifier with
rely on voltage control to perform complex
gain controlled by variable voltage.
pitch, amplitude, and timbre changes. As a
res-ilt, specialized circuits designed solely to
generate control voltages have come into to control a voltage- controlled system, but
being. For example, a sub -audio triangle the problem with using only oscillators to
wave of, say, 0.5 Hz makes an excellent generate the control voltages is that somecontrol voltage. For one second, the signal times a non-repeating waveform is desired.
rises to peak amplitude (2 volts in Fig. 4 )
This problem is overcome with the aid of
Then for another second it tapers off to an envelope generator, a device that can
zero amplitude. Applied to a voltage -conproduce a control voltage with specified
trolled amplifier, this signal would be heard rise, on, and fall times.
N

10Hz

FREQUENCY

CUTOFF
FREQUENCY

LOW-PASS

FILTER
10KHz

CUTOFF
FREQUENCY

10Hz

HIGH -PASS

FILTER
10KHz

RESONANT
FREQUENCY
BANDPASS

FILTER
10Hz

I0KHz

Frequency characteristics of
three basic types of filter circuits.
Fig.

2.

at the output as a linear increase and decrease of equal duration in each direction.
The common tremolo circuit found in guitar amplifiers and organs is simply a sine wave- controlled vca. Vibrato is generally a
vco that is controlled by a 6 -Hz or so sine
wave. Of course, any waveform can be used
.

42

Practical Envelope Generator. The "Timbre Gate" (April 1971 ) , when broken down
into a block diagram, can be illustrated as
shown in Fig. 5. It consists of a voltage controlled amplifier with an audio input and
two audio outputs. An envelope generator
with adjustable rise, on, and fall times generates the control voltage for the vca.
The envelope generator can be triggered
manually or automatically to generate an
envelope. The automatic triggering unit
furnishes pulses that initiate the envelope.
( Sometimes this type of pulse control system is referred to as a clock or a timer
circuit.) Because of this timed feature, periodic control voltages of an unusual shape
can be generated.
Although there are many types of control
voltage generators, one of the most popular
is the keyboard. It furnishes a string of control voltages to a control input, with the
various voltages selected by pushbutton or
key switches (see Fig. 6). In most commercial synthesizer keyboards, a pulse output is
also available whenever a key is closed.
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CONTROL VOLTAGE OUT

TIME (SECONDS)

Fig. 4. Waveform of a triangle wave

used to control output of amplifier.
6. Typical switch
arrangement on a pushbutton keyboard control.

Fig.

Other Signal Modifiers. A system containing voltage -controlled oscillators, filters, and
amplifiers represents a sophisticated electronic music setup. But there are other signal modifiers that are useful for specific
functions and add a great deal of versatility
to an electronic music studio. Some of these

are:
Reverberatory that artificially delay and
decay a signal to simulate the effect of a
sound bouncing off the walls of a large
room. This effect can be accomplished in
several ways but generally it is done by feeding the signal through springs or metal
sheets coupled at both ends with special

transducers.
Tape echo, a very precisely controlled
delay system, bestows a sense of spaciousness, delay, or repetition upon electronic
music. It also permits a musician to "accompany" himself.
Ring modulators have two inputs, one for
an audio signal and another for a modulating (or carrier) signal. At the output of the
modulator appears the algebraic sum of the
input frequencies, but both original signals
are suppressed.
Fuzztones and waa- lcaa's are also used as
electronic modifiers. The fuzztone generates

AUDIOIN

CONTROL
IM

VOLTAGE
IN

ENVELOPE
GENERATOR
MAN
CLOCK

TIMER

AUTO

TRIGGER
PULSE

za
TRIGGER
PULSES

TYPICAL UNUSUAL-SHAPE PERIODIC CONTROL VOLTAGE

Fig. 5. Block diagram

of a voltage controlled amplifier with two outputs.

MAY 1973

VOLTAGE
DROP

harmonics from a signal with otherwise low

harmonic content. The waa -waa is a variable-bandpass filter, its resonant frequency
controlled by a footpedal.
Mixers are not processors, but they are
often used to adjust two or more signal
levels to suitable proportions. They are also
useful for adding together control voltages
when control by more than one waveform
is desired. Mixers can be sophisticated multi input devices containing echo buses, switch able reverberation, filtering arrangements,
and other convenience features.
Equalizers are basically batteries of filters that cover various parts of the audio

THE NONTECHNICAL SIDE

Pioneers in the field of "new" music

recognize that it has a deep spiritual
basis. Electronic music is not simply
another kind of music -like pop, country, etc.; it is a different kind -emphasizing pure sound in addition to
themes, randomness with imposed order,
and looseness as a complement to restricted thought. The fact that no one
has yet devised a universal way to score
this music is significant.
Even more significant is that electronic music encompasses many disciplines by combining different aspects of
science, music, and philosophy -even
theatre. People who look down on "music
by machines" fail to realize that electronic music was not designed to replace
humans; rather, it brings a powerful
new tool to the hands of the musician.
43

OUT

7. Simplified equalizer diagram

has 3 filters; 12 or 24 may be used.

Fig.

spectrum, each output terminating in a level

control. A simplified equalizer diagram is
shown in Fig. 7. Here, only three filters are
shown, but equalizers that divide the spectrum into 12 or 24 bands are not uncommon.
Compressors and limiters are functionally related to each other. The limiter's job
is to maintain the maximum signal amplitude to a desired peak level. A compressor
limits the peak amplitude of a signal but
it also raises the low -level portions of the
signal. When used with moderation, limiting and compression are hardly noticeable.
However, with extreme limiting or compression, highly unusual effects are obtained.

Striking a key initiates several events.

First, a control voltage is applied to the veo
to generate a tone of specific pitch. Simultaneously, a pulse triggers the two envelope
generators. Envelope generator 1 is set for
a long decay, while generator 2 is set for a
short decay. By controlling a vcf, envelope
generator 1 also changes the harmonic content of the square wave so that, as the signal
decays, overtones are removed. The overall
effect is a note of a certain pitch, modulated
by vibrato, whose attack is mainly a burst of
sawtooth wave followed by a slowly decaying square wave, the timbre of which
changes as it decays.
Changing any part of the system yields a
radically different sound. Any subtle changes
can give dramatically different results. This
is perhaps why so many people refer to electronic music as a medium of infinite potential. There are so many building blocks and
their possible combinations so numerous
that the problem for many composers is not
what sounds to make, but what sounds not
to make.
ENV. GEN.f

MIXER
CONTROL
VOLT.

l
IN

Assembling a Synthesizer. A modern synthesizer contains most of the building blocks

mentioned above. To give an idea of how
these blocks might be put together to make
a sound, Fig. 8 shows in block diagram form
a representative method of interconnection
(traditionally with the aid of patchcords) .
The heart of the system is the veo, its
frequency determined primarily by the con-

trol voltage from the keyboard. By properly tuning the keyboard, it is possible to
generate a chromatic scale. In addition, a
6-Hz sub-audio sine -wave control voltage
vibrato- modulates the primary frequency.
The master vco has both square and saw tooth outputs. An envelope generator delivers a control voltage to a vea and a vcf.
This combination modifies the square wave.
The sawtooth wave is processed by an envelope generator /yea combination. Both
waveforms, after being modified, are mixed
down to one output, given some reverberation, and equalized to emphasize or cut any
specific frequency components.
44

6Hz
SINE
WAVE

SAWTOOTH

OUT
ENV. GEN. 2
A

KEYBOARD

TRIGGER
PULSE OUT

OUTPUT TO

AMPLIFIER

Fig. 8. One typical way of

interconnecting blocks of synthesizer system.

Recommendations. This article presents

the basics of electronic music. The next step
is to translate the above into sounds, and
for this, we recommend the Nonesuch Guide
To Electronic Music (HC- 73018) which
contains the basic vocabulary of electronic
music with an explanatory text. For current developments in electronic music, se?
Electronotes (60 Sheraton Dr., Ithaca, NY
14850), a monthly newsletter dealing primarily with the technical side, and Source
(2101 22 St., Sacramento, CA 95818) which
covers, twice a year, the avant garde side
of electronic music.
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DECODE

MAE T[FVat UNIE

J15GR'TE
116,

$CLRCE
E

tanr
A

F,-,0*....31
o-

gialreVokt

EVx-44

Electro -Voice EVX -44

Lafayette Radio Electronics

SQ -L

COMPARISON OF
QUADRA PHON IC

MATRIX DECODERS
Performance of three recent matrix decoders
for records using CBS SQ and Sansei QS matrices
BY JULIAN D. HIRSCH

GENERAL acceptance of 4- channel

for the home has been hindered
by a lack of standardization among the competing systems on the market. In both openreel and cartridge formats, 4- channel tapes
enjoy a relatively stabilized condition. However, a limited recorded repertoire and high
cost have worked against open -reel tapes,
while the tape cartridge lacks both the
quality and indexing ease required.
The largest potential market for quadra-

THE
sound

MAY 1973

Hi- sch -Houck Laboratories

phonics lies in phonograph records. A major

effort has gone into developing matrix systems that allow four channels of signals to
be mixed down, or encoded, into two channels for recording through conventional
stereo means. A playback decoder then recreates the original four channels from the
two channels present on the stereo record
by a process that allows it to separate the
mixed -down signals.
In matrixing, each stereo channel carries
as

a blend of two or more quadraphonic channels. Each of the proposed matrix systems

employs specific relative proportions and

phase shifts between the four channels as
they are encoded. In the decoding process,
the left and right channels are each split
and recombined, with the appropriate phase
shifts and relative amplitudes, to generate
the original 4- channel program.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to recover completely four independent channels
from a two -channel matrixed program.
There always exists a degree of crosstalk,
with each channel appearing at a reduced
level in one or more of the other outputs.
In some cases, a constant -amplitude input
signal will not be reproduced at the same
level from any direction. Another problem
is compatibility with stereo or monophonic
playback since, with some matrix systems,
instruments in a specific location (such as
center -rear) can disappear when played in
mono. Each system designer has selected
matrix coefficients and other operating parameters that he feels can satisfy his goals.
Of course, the recording engineer can avoid
some of the possible problems with any system by proper instrument and microphone
placement and mix -down.
The Contenders. At this time, the field
has narrowed down to two major contenders
in the encoder /decoder market. One is the
CBS SQ system of matrixing; the other is
the so- called "regular" matrix as defined
by the Japanese electronics industry. The
best -known example of the "regular" matrix
in this country is Sansui's QS.
Most current quadraphonic amplifiers,
receivers, and decoders are designed for use
with the SQ matrix. Many also have additional matrices that are identified by a
variety of names. Some of these are for
"regular" matrix programs, while others do
not appear to match any currently popular
system.
One of the pleasant byproducts of matrix ing is its ability to synthesize the rear channels, either from an ordinary 2-channel
stereo program or from a differently encoded quadraphonic source. In general,
rear -channel synthesis adds an "ambience"
that almost always improves the sound of
stereo programs, although it is not comparable to properly reproduced quadraphonic Material.
With the aid of more than 50 recent
quadraphonic record releases, a good 446

channel music system, and a 4- channel display oscilloscope (Pioneer SD- 1100), we
have compared the performances of several
representative matrix decoders. Since the
recording matrix may not always match that
used in the decoder, we also attempted to
evaluate the performance of mismatched
systems.
In its original form, the SQ system provided full channel separation from side to
side but only about 3 dB from front to rear.
Recent modifications include a cross- blending that slightly reduces the side -to -side
separation, but improves the front-to -rear
separation. A number of SQ decoders now
feature "partial," or "front -to-rear," logic
circuits. By sensing the spatial distribution
of the quadraphonic program, these circuits
can improve front -to-rear separation, altering the relative gains of the front and rear

channels as required.
The so- called "full- logic" SQ decoder performs a similar function in all directions.
If it determines that one channel carries a
dominant signal, it shifts the gains to emphasize that channel. This action is continuous, dynamic, and fast enough to be
undetectable under most listening conditions.
A full-logic SQ decoder is a complex device. With the discrete circuit components
currently in use, it is correspondingly expensive. We tested the Sony SQD -2000
( $300) , the first model to become available.
Not only does it have the necessary decoding circuits (more than 100 transistors) , it
also provides complete control flexibility for
a 4- channel system. Each channel has its
own level control and meter, plus a master
volume control for all four channels. Like
all decoders, the SQD -2000 is inserted into
the tape monitoring path of a stereo amplifier or receiver that continues to drive the

front speakers with the separated left and

right front signals. It also provides decoded
rear-channel outputs to a second stereo amplifier and the rear speakers.
Since the SQD -2000 contains bass and
treble controls for the second amplifier, this
need only be a basic amplifier. The decoder
has tape recording and monitoring facilities
for a 2- channel and a 4- channel tape deck,
plus a mode switch that can reverse either
the front or the rear outputs independently
or cross -switch all outputs to rotate the
sound pattern 180 . In addition, 2-channel
stereo and mono operation, as well as ambience- recovery (MTX mode) are provided.
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With some SQ records, the channel

separation of the SQD -2000 has a truly
discrete character with little or no detectable
cross -talk. Since at this time there are no
suitable test records or other program
sources for judging quadraphonic matrix
systems, we had to depend largely on our
ears. However, the superiority of the decoder over less complex and less expensive
decoders was unmistakable. It seems certain
that, in the months to come, "full-logic" SQ
decoders will become available at much
lower prices to provide the most effective
reproduction of SQ records.
The MTX position of the SQD- 2000's
mode switch was tried with QS- encoded
records. It did not appear to provide anything more than a simple ambience enhancement. The total effect was considerably diminished, as compared to listening
through a true "regular" matrix decoder.
A much less expensive decoder is the
Electro -Voice EVX -44 ( $100) which is offered as a "universal" decoder. Its characteristics seem to match the SQ matrix very
closely. The front -to-rear logic system appreciably attenuates the rear channels in the
presence of a center-front program.
The EVX -44 contains a master volume
control and an input selector for a 2-channel
recorder and a 4-channel discrete source.
Although it did a fine job with SQ discs,
the decoder had limited front -to -rear separation along the sides of the room with SQ
material. As a synthesizer, the EVX -44
worked very well, with the added advantage of locating a center -front soloist without the ambiguity sometimes introduced by
a simple rear- channel synthesizer.
The last decoder we used was the Lafayette Radio Electronics SQ -L (880). It uses
a switch to select discrete, SQ, Composer
A, or Composer B, the latter two being synthesizer positions. A pushbutton switch replaces the normal program source with the

EDITOR'S NOTE
At the time this report went to press, it
was announced that Sony had discontinued manufacture of their Model SQD 2000 decoder. Currently being marketed
in its place is the company's new Model
SQD -2020
full -logic decoder (about
$250). Unfortunately, we did not have
time to check out the new model at the
time this report was being made up.
MAY 1973

outputs of a 2- channel or a 4- channel tape

deck. A master volume control is also provided.
The SQ circuits of the SQ -L contain a
front -to -rear logic system. Our oscilloscope
display, as well as our ears, indicated that
the overall performance with SQ records
was excellent, though not the equal of a
full-logic system.
The composer B mode added a slight ambience to stereo programs, but Composer A
was considerably more effective in this respect. When we played QS- encoded records
through the decoder, we were surprised to
find that Composer A was able to decode
them in a virtually ideal manner. Because
of this, we consider the Lafayette SQ -L to
be the nearest thing to a truly "universal"
decoder we have so far tested.

Conclusions. Any of the decoders mentioned above (and no doubt many others
we were unable to include in our tests)
can be used successfully to convert a stereo
system to quadraphonic operation. A second
stereo amplifier and an extra pair of speaker
systems are needed.
It is difficult to guess at this time whether
or not any of the systems will become truly
"universal" in the near future. More amplifiers, receivers, and decoders include the
SQ matrix than any other, but many of
these also provide either a "regular" matrix
or some form of synthesizer that can often
deliver comparable results with suitable recordings.
Minor differences between recording and
playback matrices may do little more than
shift the apparent direction or level of
some instruments. Since the listener usually does not know the recording engineer's
intentions, his enjoyment of the program
is not impaired. However, the "regular" or
QS matrix and the SQ matrix are relatively
incompatible. Neither can really do justice
to a record encoded with the other.
From the listener's point of view, the
differences between records (due principally to the techniques employed by the recording engineer) will usually outweigh any
distinctions between competing matrix systms or their decoding hardware.
More than a year of constant exposure to
quadraphonic sound has convinced us of
its tremendous superiority over 2- channel
stereo, whatever system is employed. It certainly should be tried-the results are amazing.
O
47

COMPUTER
ART
AS A
DESIGN
TOOL
Computers can
print out alpha numerics and also
draw illustrations.
Computer drawings such as this first prompted
Bell Labs to consider computer art seriously.

ONE NIGHT late last October we paid a

visit to a special computer laboratory
located on the Ohio State University campus.
It was a strange hour to be visiting a computer facility, but this was no ordinary lab.
To all outward appearances, everything
looked ordinary (to someone familiar with
computer equipment, that is). There was
the familiar array of computer consoles, plotters, card readers, and keypunch machines.
Even the atmosphere was familiar with its
bright diffused fluorescent lighting, almost
antiseptic conditioned air, and soundproofed walls and ceiling.
What made this computer lab different
from most others was not the standard IBM
interactive CRT graphics display. Seated in
front of the 21" display, an operator was
using a light pen and a series of pushbuttons
to draw a picture on the screen. The figure
being built up was not flat or sticklike -the
sort of thing with which a bored lab man
would doodle away the hours as he waited
for something important or exciting to come
his way. Quite the contrary. The picture was
an excellent portrait of an attractive young
woman. The operator was a graduate student in the College of Fine Arts, as were the
48

BY DAVI

L.

HEISERMAN

other people in this particular computer lab.

Apparently satisfied with the figure he
had drawn on the screen, the operator- artist
waved the light pen, punched a button, and
watched his picture slowly zoom away into
an imaginary third dimension. Then he
moved the light pen in a spiral path and
punched another button. The girl's smiling
face tumbled into the foreground again, following the invisible spiral path just drawn.
When the artist- operator punched another
button, the portrait disappeared from the
screen, becoming a group of thousands of
coded binary words stored on a magnetic
disc.

Engineers and draftsmen have been aware

of the value of computer -generated artwork
since the mid- 1960's. At the Battelle Memorial Institute, for example, a group of
researchers produced an animated film with
the aid of a computer terminal. The film
shows a line drawing cf a proposed off -shore

drilling rig going through twisting, bouncing,

and swaying motions that represent its
modes of vibration. As mathematically
generated waves approach the rig, it
stretches, twists, vibrates, and bends over.
By entering engineering data concerning the
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structure's materials and construction, the

computer can make dynamic plots of stresses
on every part and joint of the rig. Without
having to build an expensive prototype or
even scale model, engineers can determine
the quality of a design and visually study its
responses to different types of stresses.
In another case, an elaborately drawn
picture of a helicopter appeared on the
screen. The small blades on the tail were
turning faster than the rotor (lift) blades,
just as they do on a real -life helicopter. As
we watched the screen, the helicopter "flew"
across the CRT faceplate, turned its tail
toward us, and went into an imaginary third
dimension.
Unlike the drilling rig study, the helicopter presentation was not a film that was
shot one frame at a time from statistically
displayed figures on the screen. The helicopter was moving in real time. It would
take a sharp mathematician the better part
of an hour to solve all the equations for
moving this complicated figure an inch
across the screen. The computer was solving
the same sets of equations, plus those needed
for producing the effects of perspectives,
thirty times each second. This computer was
actually producing animated drawings on
the spot; if he chose to do so, the operator
could take full control of all of the motions.
Computers In Animation. Traditional
techniques for making animated films require a separate drawing for each frame of
motion. At a typical film speed of 24 frames/
second, a finished full -length cartoon uses
more than 300,000 separate artwork setups.
At best, it takes a skilled staff 2000 manhours
just to shoot the film on an animation stand.
It takes ten times longer to draw all of the
pictures. At the present time, $1500 /minute
of running time is an average price to pay
for animated films produced by one-frameat -a -time techniques.
A

P-of. Charles Csuri, head of Ohio

State U. computer art group, controls
flight of helicopter drawn on a CRT.

Partial computerization of the animation

process is already cutting production time
and cost by as much as 60 percent. Most of
the up-to-date Saturday morning TV cartoons are produced on computerized animation stands. Artists still have to draw at
least one version of each background and
one picture for each frame of non- repetitive
motion. But a computerized animation stand
eases the overall job by controlling the camera stand to produce background motion and
Live the figures different perspectives as
lai move.

totally computer -generated animated film sequence made by Prof. Csuri.

MAY 1973

Today's computers are not up to producing commercial- quality animations directly

on the CRT screen. Although graphic computers can produce intricate patterns of motions for one or two detailed drawings, they
lack the immense data handling capacity and
high speeds required for putting several
highly detailed cartoon characters through
their motions against an elaborate moving
background. As computer hardware and programming become more sophisticated,
though, inexpensive full-color computer -generated animated films will become a reality.
Present & Future. The fact that artists
inhabit the computer lab at Ohio State
several hours a day makes it different from
most other computer labs in the country.
Engineers, of course, can create an air of
excitement in a lab; but unlike engineers,
who must deal with the problems of manipulating nature, artists deal with a humanistic
understanding of nature. By blending artistic
concepts of nature with computer technology, computer artists are able to convey
ideas impossible to express by, or totally
foreign to, engineers and artists of a somewhat more conventional variety.
Present -day computer artists are having
some trouble gathering financial and moral
support for their work. Much of the trouble
is due to the rather unimpressive showing
computer art made when it first appeared in
the late 1950's and early 1960's. During that
time, popular periodicals and a few of the
more progressive art museums carried
samples of computer-drawn figures. To most
observers, the pictures appeared to be flat,
lifeless, and far from human.

As far as the computer artists are concerned nowadays, the computer is something
more than an expensive substitute for paintbrushes and animation stands. They maintain that the computer holds the key to an
exciting new medium of artistic expression.
For example, pioneer of computer art A.
Michael Noll is working at Bell Laboratories
on a technique for making truly three -dimensional impressions of figures drawn on
a CRT screen. A computer program automatically splits the drawings, whether moving or stationary, into stereoscopic pairs.
Viewing the screen through a stereo viewer,
the observer perceives the figures as existing
in three -dimensional space.
Instead of drawing on the screen with a
light pen, the three -dimensional artist moves
a "joystick" within a 1 -cu -ft space. Moving
the joystick up and down in the X-Y plane
makes lines appear in a two- dimensional
plane in the three -dimensional viewer. By
moving the stick through paths that include
the Z, or depth, axis, lines that appear to
move in and out of the screen are produced.
An artist can use this three -dimensional
scheme to draw pictures in three dimensions.
He can, in effect, produce three -dimensional
sculptures.
Computer graphics and three-dimensional
art, coupled with the upcoming technology
of holography, will one day make it possible
for artists to produce full -color moving electronic sculptures that appear to be suspended in space. Far from being a "fad" in
art, the computer can-and will-expand
the graphic arts horizons just as electronic
music is firmly entrenching itself in that ageold artform.

Two drawings, taken from

computer -generated display

at Battelle Memorial Institute, show effects of
a wave approaching simulated off -shore drilling rig.
Stresses are greatest on
bottom of rig just before crest of wave, at
left. About 14,000 such
drawings,
including
lettering, were generated to
produce a 10- minute film.
so

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et

ilt,vs

How it 2vorks and some practical applications

BY ADOLPH A. MANGIERI

APPLICATIONS for and usage of the insulated gate field effect transistor
(MOSFET, IGFET, or MOS transistor)
are growing by leaps and bounds. Problems
of high cost and frequency limitations which
were initially encountered have been overcome by improvements in MOS technology
and the IGFET is now competitive in price
with other transistors both as discrete units
and as parts of integrated circuits.
Micropower logic is made possible by
complementary MOS circuitry with switching speeds suitable for many applications.
Particularly adaptable to MSI and LSI digital circuits, the MOS transistor, long in the
background, in now the focal point of accelerated research and development.
Fabrication and Operation. An n- channel
MOS transistor is fabricated on one side of
a silicon p substrate by the planar process.
Two elongated strips of heavily doped, low
resistivity n regions are diffused into the
substrate to form the drain and source ( Fig.
1) A very thin layer of insulating silicon
dioxide (special glass) is formed over the
entire surface. A portion of the insulator is
then etched off to expose the source and
drain elements. Next, an insulated gate electrode is formed over the channel and connections are made to source and drain by
aluminum metalization. There are no recti.

fying junctions.
As shown in Fig. 2A, with drain- source
voltage applied and gate voltage at zero,
the pn junction at the drain is reverse biased.
The drain current is near zero. When the
gate voltage is increased from zero, the
electric field within the oxide and semiconductor increases. When the gate voltage
MAY

1973

exceeds a threshold, the electric field induces free electrons in a very thin layer at
the top of the channel. Current may now
flow from drain to source by means of free
electrons or by n -type conductivity. In effect, the p channel has been inverted to n
conductivity by the electric field. Although
it has a p channel, the transistor is termed
an enhancement mode n- channel IGFET or
a type C FET.
Operation at a low drain voltage (Fig.
2B) produces a uniform inversion layer
along the channel. This is operation in the
linear region indicated on the static characteristics in Fig. 3A. In the linear region,
the MOS transistor simulates a resistor whose
value depends on the gate voltage. At higher drain voltages, the inversion layer is
pinched off at or near the drain end (Fig.
2C) . Channel current becomes dependent
on gate voltage and nearly independent of
drain -source voltage. This is operation in
the current saturation region along the horizontal portions of the characteristics. This
is the operation normally used for MOS
amplifiers and constant -current sources.
The MOS transistor is then a square -law
device showing curvature of the input-output
Fig. 1. How n- channel MOSFET is fabricated.
SOURCE
GATE
DRAIN

Si02
(INSULATOR)

El(BULK)

LOW RES.N
HIGH RES. P

51

(A)

(B)

Fig. 2. Diagrams show how current in FET varies with changes in drain and gate voltage.

transfer characteristics (Fig. 3B) This is

also suggested by the unequal spacings of
the static characteristics. Junction field effect transistors (type A FET's) are similarly nonlinear.
A second type of NIOSFET operates in
the enchancement -depletion mode (type B
FET). An n- channel depletion -mode MOS
is similar to the enchancement device but
also has an n region diffused into the surface of the channel. The n region bridges
the source and drain and introduces a
built-in layer of free electrons. As a result,
the zero gate voltage drain current I,,,,
is intermediate (Fig. 3B) Unlike type A
and type C FET's, the type B can be operated with plus or minus gate polarity. The
p- channel MOSFET is similar in construction and operation but uses n substrates and
p source and drain regions. The polarities
of operating voltages are reversed.
The very thin gate oxide layer is quite
susceptible to puncture by static electricity.
For this reason, MOSFET's have a shorting
ring or wire on the leads. The shorting device is removed only after the transistor is
installed. Some discrete and many IC MOS
devices include a built -in diode to protect
the gate.
Specifications for the NIOSFET include
.

Fig. 3.

(A) Static characteristics of type

gate leakage current (Liss) which is in the

nanoampere or picoampere range. Gate
leakage resistance is extremely high -millions of megohms. Forward transconductance (Yr,) is usually between 500 and
15,000 micromhos.
The frequency response of the MOS
transistor is limited primarily by gate capacitance. Small -signal input capacitance is
about 3 to 15 picofarads. The frequency
response of available types extends to 400
MIIz. Recently developed devices having
very short channel lengths and lower parasitic capacitances have extended the usable
frequency range up to 10 GHz.
Applications. Almost any application for
the junction FET can also be handled by
the MOS transistor. These include low -level
audio and r-f amplifiers, oscillators, mixers,
modulators, switching circuits, choppers,
etc. A high input impedance audio preamplifier as shown in Fig. 4A uses an rechannel depletion mode NIOS. Source resistor R, provides gate bias voltage and
negative feedback for improved linearity
and stability. Unique applications of the
MOS transistor rely on the fully insulated
gate and high input resistance. The "infinite" impedance do voltmeter shown in
FET; (B)

transfer characteristics of

3 types.

IDS
TYPE

N- CHANNEL

CURRENT SATURATION

LINEAR

DEPLETION MODE ENHANCEMENT MODE

REGION
6V

REGION

(DEPLETION (ENHANCEMENT
MODE)
MODE)

li

(J PET)
TYPE

TYPE

TOSS

TYPE/
C

6V

H
4V

DEPLETION MODE
LY

ENHANCEMENT
MODE ONLY

IDSS

VGS=2V

IDSS
VDS

(A)

52

VGS

(th)

VGS

(B)
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When a suitable resistor is placed across

the gate input in Fig. 4B, the circuit becomes a sensitive current meter. Full -scale
indications of several nanoamperes can be
obtained by using a 100 -megohm resistor
as a current shunt. Currents in the picoampere range (and lower) are measured
using more complicated circuits, selected
transistors, and highly insulated construc-

VOW'

tion.

+VREG.

Fig. 4. Some typical MOSFET applications.

Fig. 413 is nonloading. The addition of a

high -resistance input voltage divider and
gate protection diode makes a practical
voltmeter with input impedance from 10 to
100 megohms per volt.
By connecting a low leakage capacitor
across the input, the voltmeter becomes a
do current integrator, a "read and hold"
voltmeter, or an electrometer (Fig. 4C)
The latter measures minute dc currents by
accumulating a charge on the capacitor over
a known time interval. The indication on
the meter is proportional to the accumulated
charge, allowing determination of the current charging the capacitor. An electrometer
also serves as an electroscope to detect ionization levels of air or gases. The switch on
the input allows resetting of the meter by
discharging the capacitor. A familiar application of this circuit is the photographer's
electronic flash meter.
.

MAY 1973

A very important application of the MOS

transistor is in digital integrated circuits.
MOS logic has high noise immunity because
the gate voltage swings for turn -on are in
the "volts" range. Of even greater importance is the remarkable reduction in power
consumption afforded by complementary
MOS micropower logic circuits, which
utilize p- and n- channel transistors in a
complementary circuit. The power consumption of the circuit is near zero on
standby and very low when the circuit is
switched.
A basic circuit in micropower logic is
the complementary inverter shown in Fig.
5. Channels of the n- channel transistor and
its p- channel complement are connected in
parallel. Both are enhancement mode transistors, with Ql requiring a positive gate
voltage for turn on and Q2 a negative gate
voltage. A logic one signal raises the input
to +V, and a logic zero returns the gates
to ground.
If V. is zero, Ql is off because V,:, of
Ql is zero; but V,,, of Q2 is minus, so it is
on. Capacitor C
(gates of following
stages) charges up to +V, and current flow
drops to I,,,, of QI (in the picoampere
range) The output is high at logic one.
When V. is raised to V , Q2 turns off and
Ql turns on and the capacitor discharges
rapidly to zero.
At present, complementary MOS switching speeds are under 10 MHz; recent dF'velopments assure higher speeds.
.

Fig.

5. Low -power complementary

inverter.

INVERTER
A

o
o

VIN

(OF

NEXT
STAGE)

53

NIS HomeTranng

in

Electronics

star) 01 something big for

An NTS Graduate
James A. Gupton Jr. graduated from National Technical
Schools with a diploma in TV &
Radio Servicing. Today, he's a
mighty important man in the
world of Electronics!
Research associate with a
major electronics corporation;
author of numerous articles
in electronics magazines; an inventor with five patent applications to his credit. In the
field of electro- optics, he has

perfected a revolutionary
phosphor deposition technique
for cathode ray tubes.
Quite a list of accomplish54

ments for a man who began his

career with an NTS diploma
and a job in TV & Radio servicing.

Any student can succeed

James Gupton is certainly an
exceptional NTS graduate.
He proves there's nothing to keep
a determined man from becoming a success in Electronics.
As he himself says, Any student,
properly motivated, can
succeed in Electronics through
home -training."
Every NTS Electronics Course
is specially designed to keep
you motivated from the time you

as the

James Guptoo
start building your first test
instrument until you're ready to
plug -in your solid -state Color TV
or other advanced electronics
equipment.

Exciting "Project Method"

Training
NTS Project Method Training
is the best way to learn
electronics.
You build advanced equipment while you learn Electronics
principles and applications.
Each week brings new
excitement when you actually
see the progress you've made.

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NIS builds se1tconhdence

For a man to become successful,
like James Gupton, he must have
confidence in himself.
As an NTS graduate you have
this confidence. Your training
is practical and thorough. You know
Electronics from the bottom up.
You enter a world of Electronics
you're familiar with.
And if you have the drive and
determination of a man like James
Gupton, there are no limits on
your success!
(James Gupton's address
available upon request).
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tuning, and much more! Also
build and keep AM -SW Radio, solid state Radio, FET Volt- Ohmmeter,
and Electronic Tube Tester. Learn
trouble- shooting, hi -fi, stereo,
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B &W TV servicing.
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Big, Colorful NTS

Guide to new

opportunities in
Electronics.
Yours FREE!

IMAY

NATIONAL TECHNICAL SCHOOLS

4000 S. Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, California 90037
Please rush me FREE Color NTS Electronics Guide & FREE lesson, plus information on course checked at right.
No obligation. No salesman will call.

1973

oscilloscope. And you perform

experiments that involve
regulating
motor
speeds, temperature,
pressure,
liquid level,

Checker, and Signal Generator.

TV and all other equipment are
yours to keep.
NTS ELECTRONIC &
COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY
Solid -state
Compu- Trainer
14 integrated
circuits
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Transistors!

and much
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is yours to

as.A

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Build
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million -dollar systems. Contains 14
integrated circuits! All solid- state!
You perform all wiring and
patchcording. No shortcuts. No
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NTS ELECTRONIC

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Entertainment Industry!

CLASSROOM TRAINING
AT LOS ANGELES
You can take classroom training at Los
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NTS occupies a city block with over a

You build and keep 14 kits, including

this amateur phone 6 -meter VHF
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Also, learn 2 -way radio, Citizens
Band Microwaves, and radar.

million dollars in technical facilities.

Check box in coupon below.

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AUTOMATION ELECTRONICS
Automation is the future of industry,
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Learn industrial controls by
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57

DO YOU KNOW
YOUR DC CIRCUITS?
PART

OF A 3 -PART SERIES COVERING DC CIRCUIT ANALYSIS

Institute

BY ARTHUR. H. SEIDMAN, Prof. of Elect. Eng., Pratt

1.

Passive Elements.

Definition. An element is passive

if it is only capable of accepting electrical energy. (A battery, for example, provides electrical energy and is therefore
called an active element.) Examples of
passive elements are resistors (R) ,
capacitors (C) , and inductors (L)
B. Ohm's Law. The current i (amps)
in a resistor R (ohms) is equal to the
voltage v (volts) across the resistor
divided by the value of the resistance:
i = v /R. This is the basic statement of
Ohm's law. By algebraic manipulation,
one can also write v = iR and R =
r. 1.
C. Voltage and Current Relations for
L and C. (1) The voltage across an inductor (L) is equal to the value of inductance (henrys) multiplied by the
rate of change of current with respect
to time (amperes second) v = L(di/
dt). If i is a direct current, it does not
change with time; therefore di /dt =
O and u = 0.
(2) The current in a
capacitor (C) is equal to the value of
the capacitance (farads) multiplied by
the rate of change of voltage across the
capacitor with respect to time (volts/
second): i = C(dv dt). If v is a direct
voltage, it does not change with time;
therefore, dv/ dt = 0 and i = 0. This
demonstrates that a capacitor blocks
the flow of direct current. (3) The
A.

Editor's Note: Whether you are an experienced designer and finished your formal education years ago or are just
starting your first courses in electronics,
here is an excellent opportunity to learn
the fundamentals of dc circuit theory.
Start now, and don't miss the second
and third parts in succeeding issues.
Other subjects to be covered in these
series include transistors and diodes.

58

charge q (coulombs) stored in

tor is q = vC.

capaci-

2. Linear Elements.
A. Definition. A linear element is one
that, if its input is increased by a given
amount, responds with a proportional
increase. For example, if the voltage
across a linear resistor is doubled, the
current flowing in the resistor is also
doubled. A nonlinear resistor is shown
in Fig. 1. Note that the value of the
resistor, Rev), depends on the voltage
across it. (In this article we are concerned only with linear elements.)
B. Linear Circuits. A linear circuit
contains only linear elements.
3. Notation.
For dc quantities, use upper-case
letters for voltage (V) , current (I) ,
energy (W) , and power (P) . For time -

varying quantities, use lower -case letters.

R(v)

Fig.

4. Ideal Sources.
A. Definition. (1) An ideal voltage
source is one whose voltage, V, is constant regardless of the current it supplies. (2) An ideal current source is
one whose current, I, is constant regardless of the voltage across the element to which it supplies current.
B. Symbols. Symbols for ideal voltage and current sources are shown in
Fig. 2.

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World

(t) _ (V/R)
(1

tRC)

and v((t) =

Rt'

C. RL Circuits. To a direct current,

an inductor acts like an open circuit at
t = 0 and as a short circuit at t = x.
The time constant is T = L /R.
Ex. 3. Referring to Fig. 5, determine
the current I at (a) t = 0 and (b) t
l

(C)

(B)

(A)

Fig. 2

5. Unit Step Function

A. Definition. A unit step function,
u -, (t) , is equal to 0 for t less than 0
and 1 for t greater than 0 (Fig. 3) .
This concept is useful in describing,

for example, the application of a direct

voltage (or direct current) to a circuit.
If we let v = V u_, (t) , at t less than 0,
v = 0 and at t greater than 0, v = V.
If i = Iu_,(t), i = 0 for t less than 0
and i = 1 for t greater than 0.
6. Circuits containing R & C and

& L

Elements.
A. RC Circuits.

To a direct current,

a capacitor acts initially (time t = 0)

like a short circuit. (1) The product of
R and C is called the time constant, T,
of the circuit: T = RC. (2) After a
time of approximately 5T, the circuit
is considered to be in steady state, and

x (c) What
.

Ex. 1. For the circuit in Fig. 4, de-

termine I at (a) t = 0, /(0) and (1))

in steady state, I( x) (e) What is the
time constant of the circuit? Sol. (a)
I(0) = 10/100 = 0.1 A. (b) 1(x)
= O. (c) T = RC = 100 x 10 X
.

10-"=

s=

1ms.

Ex. 2. For the circuit in Fig. 4, find

the voltage across the capacitor, Ve,
at (a) t = 0 and (b) t = s. Sol. (a)
Because the capacitor acts like a short
circuit at t = 0, V(.(0) = 0. (b) Because the capacitor acts like an open
circuit in steady state, Vc (x) = 10 V.
B. Functions of Time. For times between t = 0 and t = x, the current
and voltage as functions of time for the
circuit in Fig. 4 may be expressed by:
u_I(t)

Fig. 3

-t

MAY 1973

the time constant

I(0) = 0. (b)
= V/R = 10/10 = 1 A. (e) T
= L/R = 0.1.10 = 0.01 s = 10 ms.

I(x)

Ex. 4. For the circuit in Fig. 5, find

the voltage across the inductor, at (a)
t = 0 and (h) t = x. Sol. (a) Because
the inductor acts like an open circuit
at t = 0, V,.(0) = 10 V. (b) Because
the inductor acts like a short circuit in
steady state, V. (x) = 0.
D. Functions of Time. For times between t = 0 and t = x, the current
and voltage as functions of time for
the circuit in Fig. 5 may be expressed
e -tR /L) and
by: i(t) _ (V!R) (i

v.[.(t)

V e -tR7.

R=100n

the capacitor acts like an open circuit.

(3) Steady state is symbolized by t =

x.

is

for the circuit? Sol. (a)

V =10V

C=10yf

+IT
T
`

i
Fig. 4

7. Energy and Power.

A. Definitions. (1) Energy may be
defined as the ability to do work. In the
mks (meter, kilogram, second) system of
units, the unit of energy is the newton meter or joule. One joule is equal to one
watt- second. (2) Power is the rate of
doing work or the rate-of- change of
energy with respect to time. Its unit is
joules /second or watts. (3) Energy, iv,
is equal to the product of power, p,
and time, t: w = pt. (4) For electrical
circuits, p = vi. Since i = v/R and v
= iR, we can write p = v2 /R = i2R.
(5) Only resistors are capable of dissipating energy; capacitors and inductors store energy.
B. Energy Stored in Capacitor. The
energy stored in a capacitor is we =
',Cr-", where e is the voltage across the
capacitor.
C. Energy Stored in Inductor. The

59

Fig 5

energy stored in an inductor is w,, =

Lie, where i is the current flowing ill
the inductor.
Ex. 5. A 200 -watt light bulb is
powered by a 120 -volt dc source. Find
(a) the current required by the bulb
and (b) the energy consumed in light ing the bulb for 2 hours. Sol. (a) I =
P V = 200/120 = 1.67 A. (b) W =
l't = 200 x 2 x 3600 = 1.44 x 106
3

joules.
Ex. 6. Determine the energy stored
in (a) a 1- microfarad capacitor across
which is 10 volts and (b) a 10- millihenry inductor whose current is 4 A.
Sol. (a) we
10 -6 (10)2 = 0.5
X 10 -4 joules. (b) w,, _ i x 10 X
10' (4) 2 = 0.08 joules .
Note: The circuit laws, theorems,
and techniques reviewed here also apply, in general, to ac circuits.

=iix

25n
1

ion
IO0v

15n

Fig. 6

8. Kirchhoff's Laws.
A. Kirchhoff's laws provide a formal
method of finding currents and voltages
in a circuit, regardless of its complexity.
The laws apply to circuits energized by
dc, ac, or time -varying voltage and currents.
B. Voltage Law. The voltage law
states that the algebraic sum of voltages around a closed path is equal to
zero. Mathematically, v(t) = 0, where
ti is the Greek symbol for sum.
C. Series Circuit.. A series circuit
is a network where the sanie current
Bows in each element. An example of a
series circuit is shown in Fig. 6.
Ex. 7. Using Kirchhoff's voltage law,
find (a) the current in and (b) the

60

voltage across the 10 -ohm resistor in the

series circuit in Fig. 6. Sol. It is necessary to distinguish the direction of current flow and the polarity of voltage
sources in the application of Kirchhoff's
voltage law. The convention used here
is: (1) A minus sign precedes a voltage
quantity in going around a closed path
from a low to a high potential or against
the direction of indicated current flow.
R...

R3

V2-

12

Fig. 7

(2) A plus sign precedes a voltage

quantity in going around a closed path
from a high to a low potential or with
the direction of indicated current flow.
(3) The assumed direction of current
flow is arbitrary. (a) Referring to Fig.
6, assume that we start at point A and
go around the closed path clockwise
(with the direction of indicated current
flow). Then, according to the voltage
law and the conventions we have
adopted,
100 -I- (25 + 10 +15)/
= 0 or I = 100/50 = 2 A. (h) From
Ohm's law, the voltage across the resistor is V = IR = 2 (10) = 20 V.
Ex. 8. Figure 7 shows a two -mesh or
two-loop network with the assumed
clockwise direction of current flow in
each mesh indicated. Write the necessary equations to solve for the two currents. Sol. For the first mesh, beginning
at point A, the voltages are -V, +
(R, + R,) I,
R,I., = 0 (Eq 1) For
the second mesh, starting at point B,
-R.,I, + (R, + R I, + V, = 0 or

-V, = -RI, +

(R., -f- R,)I,,

(Eq 2)

Equations (1) and (2) constitute a

pair of simultaneous equations. Terms
R, + R, and R, + R, are the self resistance of meshes 1 and 2, respectively;
term R, is the mutual resistance linking the two meshes.
1
NODE

Fig. 8

13

POPULAR ELECTRONICS Including Electronics World

Ex. 9. If, in Ex. 8, R, = 1 ohm, R,

2 ohms, R. = 4 ohms, and V, =
1.,, and the voltV, = 6 V, solve for
age across each resistor. Sol. Substituting the given values in Eqs (1) and
21, (Eq 3) and
(2) , we get 6 = 31,
= -21, + 6L (Eq 4). Equations
(3) and (4) may be solved for 1, and
1, in a number of ways. If, for example,
we multiply Eq (3) by 3 and add the
result to Eq (4) , we have 12 = 71, or
1, = 12 :7 A. Substituting this value in
Eq (4) and solving, I, _ -3 7 A. The
negative sign denotes that I. actually
flows in a direction opposite to that assumed in Fig. 7. The voltage across R,
is V = (12/7)1 = 12 7 V"; across R.
V = (12/7 +3 7)2 = 30 7 V; and
across R:;, V =-( -3/7)4 = -12/7 V.
D. Current Law. Kirchhoff's current
1uw states that the algebraic sum of cur rents leasing a node is equal to zero, or
i (t) = O. A node is a junction of two

-6

Fig. 10

between nodes 1 and N; with V between nodes 2 and N. Node N is a

common node and nodes 1 and 2 are
independent nodes. Because we have
two independent nodes, two nodal
equations are necessary. With the assumed currents as shown, Kirchhoff's
current law for node 1 gives: -11 + L +
1;; = 0 (Eq. 5). At node 2: -1:: + 1,
= 0 (Eq 6). Expressing Eqs (5) and
(6) in terms of voltages and resistance,
V,) /R, + V 'R. +
we have -(V

- V.) = 0, or V R, = V,(1/
(Eq 7);
R, + 1:R, + /R:,) -V,
and - (V, - V,) /R:, + V%R, = 0 or
(V,

R:,

R,,

-V /R:,

Fig. 9

or more elements. If currents flowing

toward a node are taken as negative
and currents flowing away as positive,
then, for example, -i, + i, +i:; = 0 in

Fig. 8.
E. Parallel Circuits. A parallel circuit
is a network where the voltage across
each element is the same ( Fig. 9) .
Ex. 10. For the parallel circuit in Fig.
9, determine (a) the voltage across each
resistor and (b) the current in each.
Sol. (a) Applying Kirchhoff's current
law at node A, we have: -6 + V/2
+ V/4 = 0 or 6 = V(2 + 1)/4 =
3V/4; and V = 8V. (b) L = 8 2 = 4
A;

Conductance. Conductance, G, is
the reciprocal of resistance; thus G =

/R. The unit for conductance

the
mho, which is ohm spelled backwards.
Ex. 11. Referring to Fig. 10, write
the necessary equations to solve for V,
and V,. Sol. From Fig. 10, V, is taken
1

MAY

1973

is

/R,) = 0 (Eq

2
AAAAA

VI

v2

10A'
.

1,= 8/4 =2A.

F.

+ V.,(1 /R:, +

Equations (7) and (8) can be expressed in terms of conductances: thus,

G,V= (G, +G. +G:,) V, -G:,V_ (Eq
9) and -G,V, + (G:: + G,)V = 0
(Eq 10) Terms G, + G., + G, and
G, +G, are the self conductance of
nodes 1 and 2, respectively; and G:,
is the mutual conductance between
nodes 1 and 2.
Ex. 12. For the network in Fig. 11,
determine V, and V,. Sol. At node 1,
-10 + 0.5V, + 0.5(V, V) = 0,
0.5V, (Eq 11) At node
or 10 = V,
8)

Fig. 11

V,) + 0.5V, = 0, or
-0.5V, + V., = 0 (Eq 12) From Eq
(12) , V, = 2V,. Substituting this value
in Eq 11, we have 10 = 2V.,
0.5V,
= 1.5V2,. Solving, V., = 10/1.5 = 6.7
V and V, = 2V, = 2(6.7) = 13.4 V.
2,

0.5(V,

(To be continued)

61

PICK YOUR OWN CHANNEL FREQUENCIES USING

THIS SIMPLE DESIGN METHOD
BY DARYL SLAVIERO

Changing colored lights that keep time

with the music -the color organ -are a
natural accompaniment for a good stereo
system. The possibilities are even greater
with the newest quadraphonic systems
surround sound and surround light!
There are many types of multi -lamp
color organs, ranging from simple LC or RC
passive filter circuits to active filters driving SCR's or triacs. The passive filter is the
less expensive but consumes audio power.
Active filter circuits are preferable but they
are often costly. They need not be, however, if you use the simplified circuit design

FILTER CALCULATIONS
Assume for Q1: V,.I.. = 10 V, I,. = 3 mA,
Vc.c, = 20 V, beta= 100.
R4 = (V(.(.
/ I,. _ (20
10) /0.003
=3333 ohms (use 3.3 kilohms)

-V,.)

R3

= (V. - 0.6)/(1,,1100)
= 9.4(100) /0.003 = 313,333 ohms

(use 330 kilohms)

Cl,C2,C3 = 20 /f

=
=
=
=

62

20/80 = 0.25 itF

20/400= 0.05uF
20/1000 = 0.02 uF
20/4000 = 0.005 uF

described here. If new parts are used in this

design, a three -channel color organ should
cost less than $30. It will be less if some of
the parts are available in the junk box.
How It Works. The circuit shown in Fig.

for one channel only. Simplified design

information will be given to add any number of channels for any center frequency
within the audio range by changing three
capacitors and adjusting a potentiometer.
The audio input signal is coupled to the
color system through transformer Tl and
drives transistor Ql, a frequency selective
amplifier. The amplitude of the output of
this stage depends on the input frequency,
if the input amplitude is held constant.
However, the higher the input level is
set (by Rl) , the more often the channel
lamp will come on.
The output of Ql drives an SCR (or
triac) through Q2 which is used to buffer
the output of Ql from the relatively high
load of the SCR. Thus, although about 10
mA may be required to drive the SCR, only
about 0.1 mA is required at the input to Q2.
The SCR is turned off by using ac as the
supply. Each time the ac voltage passes
through zero, the SCR turns off and waits
for the next trigger signal from Q2.
1 is

POPULAR ELECTRONICS Including Electronics World

+20V

Active filter (Q1) is buffered by Q2 and drives the SCR to

energize lamp connected to socket.
Fig.

117

VAC

1.

R7

R4

56011

3.3K

R3

330K
DI

C3

TO
OTHER
CHANNELS

1N34

OI

02
R6

SOI

2N17I1

IOK
A

TI

R2

O
C>500

pfl
A

SCR

4.7K

i500fi

C2

4
RI

-I(

COMMON(DO NOT GROUND TO CHASSIS)

PARTS LIST
Cl -C3-See text
DI- Small -signal diode (1N34 or similar)
Q1- Q2- 2N1711 transistor (see text)
R1 -500 -ohm linear potentiometer
R2 -4700 -ohm resistor
R3- 330,000 -ohm resistor (see text)
1t4-3300 -ohm resistor (see text)

Design. Almost any npn transistor can be used for Ql and Q2 as long
as the one for Ql has a minimum beta of 50
and for Q2 a minimum beta of 100. The
SCR should have sufficient power rating to
operate the lamps to be used. If lamps with
voltage ratings other than line voltage are
used, the rating of the SCR may have to be
changed. For very large loads, transistor Q2
should have a high output and R6 and R7
may have to be decreased in value to provide the extra drive.
Simplified calculations for the important
elements of the active filter are shown in
the box. Calculations for R3 and R4 are
used if a transistor other than the 2N1711
is used. These equations also show a simple
method of calculating the required value of
the filter capacitors (Cl, C2, and C3). The
examples shown are for 80 Hz, 400 Hz, 1
kHz and 4 kHz, though any other center
frequency can be selected. A typical 20 -volt
power supply is shown in Fig. 2.

Circuit

Operation. For each stage of the color

organ (as shown in Fig. 1.) , when power is
applied but without an input signal, potentiometer R5 is adjusted until the filter
just starts to oscillate and the associated
lamp is turned on. Then R5 is backed down
until the lamp goes off. If desired, once the
correct setting of R5 has been determined,
the resistance values measured from the
rotor to the ends can be used to determine
fixed resistors to substitute for the potentiMAY

1973

R5-5000 -ohm linear taper

R6- 10,000 -ohm resistor

potentiometer

R7 -560 -ohm resistor

SCR1 -2.5 amperes, 200 PIV (see text)

SDI-117 -volt panel receptacle

TI -Audio transformer; 8/500 ohms
Misc.-Suitable chassis, terminal strips, knob
for RI, mounting hardware, etc.

ometer. The channel is then fed a signal

from the 8-ohm output of an audio amplifier.
If very high volume is required from
the speaker, insert a resistance between 47
and 100 ohms in series with the input of Tl
to remove the distorting effects of saturation
of the transformer.
Lamp Power. If 117 -volt line power is
used for the lamps, an isolation transformer
of the necessary wattage is suggested to
prevent accidental shocks. In units such
as this, where the power is ac, it is always
best not to use a metal chassis; but if you
do, make sure that all wiring is connected
to insulated lugs of terminal strips. Under
no conditions should the metal chassis be
used as a common return.

If low- voltage lamps are used, a suitable

heavy -duty filament transformer is ideal.
Make sure that the total lamp wattage does
not exceed the ratings of the SCR (or triac)
and the transformer.

117

VAC

yF

30V
GROUND/
TO CHASSIS

DO NOT

Fig. 2. Simple power supply delivers

about 20 volts dc for the color organ.
63

SIMPLE TEST
INSTRUMENTS
FOR
DIGITAL
CIRCUITS
vlanual or automatic slow clock and
state indicator will come in handy.
BY FRANK TOOKER

ISN'T too difficult to design and assem-

ITble a digital counter or a scaler (fre-

quency divider). What is difficult is to find

out what is wrong if the thing doesn't work
properly.
Because of their binary nature, digital
instruments tend to he complicated due to
the number of elements required to obtain
a desired result. It is easy to make a mistake
in wiring, and a single misconnection can
cause a digital setup to (lo almost anything
-from running wild to refusing to operate
at all.
When faulty operation occurs, then, the
first questions to be answered are: Is the
setup wired properly? If it is, in what stage
does the fault occur? Is this stage supplied
with adequate drive, or is it just borderline?
To a large extent, it is not necessary to
have expensive equipment to check out
home -built digital circuits. All that is
needed is a slow -speed repeating trigger
with an instant stop and a pulse detector
that can double as a pulse- coincidence detector. Amazingly simple, yet entirely adequate and reliable versions of these two
RTL instruments are described here.
Slow -Speed Trigger. A slow -speed repeating trigger performs very much the same
64

service as a manual trigger, except that the

operation is automatic. Pulses with fast rise
and fall times are produced regularly at a
repetition rate determined by the RC time
constant of the components used. Speeds of
one pulse every three to five seconds are

adequate.
Fundamentally, a repeating trigger is an
astable or free-running multivibrator. Two
different circuits are shown in Figs. 1 and
2. They operate equally well, so the one
you choose to build depends on your personal preference or the components you
have on hand. Detailed assembly instructions are not given because anyone who can
design and assemble a counter or a frequency divider can put together either of
these simple circuits easily.
The circuit of Fig. 1 has a manual hold
control as \veil as a hold input terminal.
In eithe-_ circuit, when the hold input is
put at a logic 1 level ( +3.6 volts) , output 1
goes to the logic O level and remains there
as long as the hold signal is applied. Simultaneously, output 2 goes to the logic 1 level
and remains there.
The manual hold feature in the circuit
of Fig. 1 can be eliminated by omitting the
switch and the lk resistor and grounding
pin #10.
POPULAR ELECTRONICS Including Electronics World

REP 570

1. An IC slow -speed
square -wave generator provides one pulse every 3
Positive signal
seconds.
on hold input can be used
oscillator.
the
to stop

HEP571

MANUAL
HOLD

Fig.

+3.6V

OUTPUT!

Ik
15k

15k

HOLD
INPUT

100yF

OUTPUT 2

IOOyF

The circuit of Fig. 1 uses a quad 2 -input

gate (Motorola MC724P or HEP570) followed by a dual buffer (HEP571) With the
components shown, the repetition rate is
one pulse every three seconds.
The circuit of Fig. 2 uses a multifunction
integrated circuit (Motorola \1C787P or
HEP C2503P) containing a JK flip -flop, an
inverter, and two buffers. The buffers are
interconnected to make up the astable multivibrator, the output of which is fed
through a 3300 -ohm resistor to the inverter
input. The inverter operates to square the
signal, while the 3300 -ohm resistor reduces
loading on the multivibrator. The output
from the inverter feeds directly to the T
input of the built -in JK flip -flop. Outputs Q
and not Q of the flip -flop feed the two inputs of the dual buffer ( Motorola FIEP571)
The small figures at the inputs and outputs of the logic symbols in Figs. 1 and 2
indicate pin numbers on the integrated circuits. Pins 4, 7, and 10 of the MC787P are
grounded. As usual, with these 14 -pin IC's,
pin 11 is to be connected to the +3.6 -volt
supply.
The repetition rate of the circuit of Fig.
2 is one pulse every five seconds.
A manual hold can be added to the circuit of Fig. 2 by feeding +3.6 volts through
a spst switch to the hold input terminal
( #5) of the JK flip -flop. Automatic control
through the hold input terminal will be
normal with the switch open.
.

A JK flip -flop with its T input connected

to either output terminal of the repeating
triggers of Figs. 1 or 2 will not be toggled
by the opening or closing of the manual
hold switches or by the application of a
logic 1 signal to the hold input terminal.
This is because a transient pulse at the hold
or manual input cannot produce a clock

pulse at the repeating trigger's outputs.

Slow -Speed Pulse Detector. The output
of any digital logic device can he at either
the logic 1 or 0 level. It does not, of its own
accord, indicate its output state. So, when
you are working with experimental setups,
have
it is advantageous
not essential
some form of simple readout device (a
pulse -level indicator or detector) to tell you
immediately when the output of your slow speed repeating trigger or the output of any
of the toggled flip -flops is at the 0 or 1 level

-if

-to

at any moment.
You should also be able to connect such
a device between the outputs of your JK
flip -flops to determine if and when pulse
coincidence occurs. In this case, the device
is a pulse- coincidence detector. Such a device should consume so little power that it
has little, if any, loading effect on the
circuit.
The simple device shown in Fig. 3 fills
this need effectively and inexpensively. It
consists of a pair of 33,000 -ohm resistors
and a zero -center microammeter of the kind

Fig. 2. Variation of circuit shown in Fig. 1

uses
JK flip -flop as

shaper and hold gate.

Outputs are buffered.

MC

MAY

1973

787P

HEP 571

55

sold as stereo balance meters (such as Lafayette's 99F50346).

S_nce these meters are intended for rectified audio frequency applications without
filtering, they are internally damped to a
degree sufficient to prevent needle overtravel, even when the input signal level is
enough to move the needle abruptly from
one extreme to the other.
Current sensitivity of the meter should be
100 microamperes or less. The 33,000 -ohm
resistors are for a 100 -microampere meter.

Fig. 3. Output state detector uses a

zero- center stereo balance panel meter.

Using the Instruments. Obviously, the

repeating trigger is connected ahead of your
setup to feed a very slow signal into it. Connect ground to ground and either output
of the trigger to the input of your counter
or frequency divider. Output from either
trigger is buffered so fan -out is adequate to
drive any ordinary asynchronous or synchronous setup.
The pulse detector, or pulse -coincidence
detector ( depending on how you use it) ,
can be connected across any two outputs in
your setup to determine not only the rate of
pulse recurrence or coincidence, but also
(noting the extent of needle travel in either
direction from zero) the pulse voltage level
-indicative of the fan-out
the point
of measurement.
It is particularly true that in experimental
counters and frequency dividers, erratic
operation or failure to operate at all is due
to inadequate drive at one or more of the

-at

66

stages. Some JK flip -flops (Motorola MC790P, for example) have a fan -out of 10,
while others ( Motorola MC791P) have
buffered outputs and a fan -out of 16.
A quick check with the slow -speed trigger
and the pulse detector will tell you if drive
is adequate throughout your setup; and if
it is not, in what stage or stages you should
replace an MC790P with an MC791P to
get the additional "push" needed. Pin connections on these two IC's are identical.
On the other hand, if you have designed
and assembled a frequency divider that is
operating smoothly but not giving the division ratio you want, use the meter as a
pulse- coincidence detector. Then, using the
truth table for the circuit you have designed,
determine, across any two circuit points, one
after the other, where pulse coincidence is
occurring when it should and where it is
occurring when it should not. The direction
of the meter deflection will tell you immediately which side of your connection is at a
logic 1 and which is at logic 0.
The hold control of the repeating triggers
is used to stop the operation of a counter
or a frequency divider at any desired point
in its sequence of operations in order to
determine the states of the flip -flops at that
particular point.
It is best to try these two simple instruments using digital circuits that you know
are operating properly. Once you have become familiar with the direction and extent
of meter needle deflection, as far as proper
digital circuit performance is concerned,
you will be well on your way to tracking
down faults in a matter of minutes.
Editors Note: If you prefer an optical
display of the output state, use the circuit
shown below. Each time a positive signal
appears at the input, the lamp will come on.
This circuit is essentially nonloading for
almost any type of logic block currently in
use by the experimenter.

NPU'

22K

POPULAR ELECTRONICS Including Electronics World

by Raymond E. Herzog

UNDERSTANDING
UNGROUNDED
OSCILLOSCOPE
MEASUREMENTS
Making scope measurements across ungrounded
components can present some problems. Here are

the reasons -and some answers.

we measure a voltage in a cirdon't always take into account
what we are actually measuring. For instance, we might say that a power supply's
output is 50 V dc with 0.75 V ac ripple;
or the output signal at a transistor amplifier's collector is 5 V ac. In these, and just
about all voltage measurements, what we
really mean is that the power supply's output is 50 V do with respect to ground (or
chassis common) ; the ripple is 0.75 V ac
with respect to ground; and the amplifier
output is 5 V ac with respect to ground.
Thus, what we are really measuring is the
voltage at a given point-with respect to a
common point.
Since a voltage is the potential difference
between two points, the two points have
to be identified. For convenience, we generally use chassis ground as the second
point.
But what if we want to measure the
voltage across a component both sides of
which are above ground? This presents a
problem -many problems, in fact. Obviously, one difficulty is the lack of a convenient, easy -to- get -at chassis for a connecting point. More important, however,

WHEN
cuit, we

MAY

1973

are the possible bad effects of connecting

both leads of a test instrument to ungrounded points.
Of course, occasions such as this do not
occur often; but when they do, knowing
the proper procedure can make the job
easier and prevent undesirable effects such
as overloaded circuits and noise pickup.
Not a Simple Test. \Lasuring a voltage
between two ungrounded points is not always a simple matter. Assuming that an
oscilloscope is being used, one does not
merely connect the test probe and ground
lead at opposite ends of the ungrounded
component-certain precautions must he
observed. Consider the following examples.
Assume that we have a conventional
scope which has a three -wire power cord.
For safety, the scope chassis is tied to the
third wire and ground. Because the signal
input "ground" terminal is also common
with the chassis ground, it too is tied to the
third wire in the power cord. Now, let's
say we're testing an ac/dc radio or a trans formerless TV receiver; the chassis being
tested is tied to the low side (ground) of
the power cord. So we have the situation
67

This, of course, could severely disturb the

circuit operation and possibly damage the
components in the network. The same
ground problem could also occur with a
scope that has a 2 -wire power cord if the
low side is tied to chassis ground.
Now, assume that we have a scope with
a three -wire power cord and we're testing
a TV receiver with a power transformer
and a conventional 2-wire ac connection.
As shown in Fig. 2, the low side of the
ac line is connected to the chassis through
a large resistance (commonly 2.2 meti
ohms) . Of course, not all equipment have
this resistance-some are entirely isolated
-but it is important to know whether it
is there or not. With the circuit shown in
Fig. 2, there is an ac shunt effectively
placed across part of the circuit under test.
The ac path inside the receiver is from
point Z to the chassis, to the transformer
secondary, through stray primary-to-secondary capacitance, to the transformer primary, to the ac line. This ac shunt can
cause problems, especially with high frequency measurements. (For all of the
above situations, tieing the ac line to an
ungrounded point can introduce noise into
the circuit.)

TRA NS FOR M E R LE SS
RADIO OR TV
W

SCOPE

TEST
LEAD

HI

VERT.
INPUT

METAL
Z

CHASSIS

METAL
CHASSIS

P2

PI

LOW" "HIGH"

"HIGH

"LOW"

SO2

SOI

EARTH

EARTH

GND

GNO

117V
PWR

LINE

EARTH
GND

transformerless circuit,
scope ground return on point Y can
create a short across Y -Z element.
Fig.

1.

In

shown in Fig. 1. The chassis are tied together through the power line system.
As long as the scope's ground test lead
is connected to the tested chassis (point Z
in Fig. 1), the chassis are tied together,
the grounds are tied, and we have a good,
safe test setup. Notice, however, what happens when the scope's ground test lead is
connected to a point above ground potential (point Y in Fig. 1) The portion of the
circuit between Y and Z is effectively
shorted out by the ground circuit through
the two chassis and the power line ground.

Still another problem is encountered if

the scope does not have its chassis tied
to the power line ground. In this case, connecting the scope ground lead to a point
above ground could make the chassis "hot."
So there are several undesirable effects
that we want to avoid-dc shunt, ac shunt.
noise pickup, hot scope, etc. Let's examine
ways to make ungrounded measurements.

SCOPE

TEST
LEAD

HI

VERT.

Fig. 2. With power transformer in circuit, connecting scope ground return to point Y can put
an ac shunt across Y -Z.

INPUT

--F-I,

2.2M

METAL
CHASSIS

1\

METAL CHASSIS
PI

"HIGH'

"LOW"

P2

"HIGH"
SO2

EARTH
GND

117V

PWR

LINE

68

POPULAR ELECTRONICS Including Electronics World

Conventional Scopes. The only way to

get ideal ungrounded measurements is with
a special scope with a differential amplifier
input. Next best is to use a scope with
a dual -trace amplifier input and an "A -B"
mode. But even with a conventional scope,
there are ways to reduce some of the undesirable effects -if not completely eliminate them.
First, we must know our scope. Is the
chassis grounded to the ac line? Also, note
the grounding on the device under test. If
it has been determined that the scope will
not cause a de shunt, we must realize that
the circuit being tested can still be disturbed by the scope's ac loading. Noise and
hum pickup should be taken into account.
Even if the scope chassis is not directly
tied to the line ground, it can put noise
into the tested circuit; the scope's large
metal cabinet acts as an antenna and picks
up noise.
We can use an isolation transformer with
the scope to prevent do shunts. This also
reduces the ac shunt; but because of the
transformer's primary -to -secondary capacitance, ac loading and noise will still occur.
However the capacitive reactance does reduce loading and noise -as compared to a
direct line without a transformer. In using
an isolation transformer, remember that
the scope chassis can be hot when the signal
ground lead is connected to an ungrounded
point.
Oscilloscope Differential Amplifier. Because the output of a differential amplifier
is the difference of its inputs, we can use
it to measure the voltage across a component -which is a potential difference.
The significance of a differential voltage
measurement is that it can be used for an
ungrounded component without encountering the had effects noted above.
Figure 3 shows a simplified block diagram of a differential amplifier. It consists
of two identical amplifiers. They have the
same gain, but one inverts its input. The
outputs are then combined by algebraic
addition; and since one output is inverted,
the total is A
B.
Differential measurements are less common than conventional single -input measurements so scopes with differential amplifier inputs are few. Many scopes of the
plug -in type have differential amplifier inputs. The electronics enthusiast. experimenter, or service technician could build

MAY 1973

Fig. 3. Simple differential amplifier

has inputs A and B and output A
B.

a differential amplifier to feed a conven-

ventional single -input scope.

In practice, the signal high leads are
connected to the two points to be measured. No common ground connection is
required so the two low leads are not used.
Usually, they are shields on the test probes.
For safety reasons, however, the scope
and device under test may be connected
with a grounding wire. However, this connection must not be the signal low leads
or the shields, to avoid ground loops.
It should be pointed out that the differential amplifier scope is not the same as
a dual -trace scope. The latter has two amplifiers, each with its own input. Electronic
switching alternately feeds the output of
each amplifier to the scope's vertical deflection section. The result is a simultaneous display of the two inputs.
Under certain conditions, a dual -trace
scope can provide some of the benefits of
a differential amplifier scope. For instance,
if there is an A
mode and the amplifiers
are well matched, the difference of the two
inputs is displayed. The scope manufacturer's operation manual will explain this
function where applicable.

-B

Making Differential Measurements. Let's

see how differential scope measurements
are made for ungrounded tests. In the circuit shown in Fig. 4, we want to measure
the signal across load resistor R,,,. Only
the high signal leads are connected to the

circuit under test (at points X and Y) The

shields are connected together and grounded; but they are not grounded at the tips.
This connection reduces the impedance of
the loop formed by the shields and equal.

69

CIRCUIT UNDER TEST

JAL -TRACE

(A-Ell

OR
CC

DIFFERENTIAL

DSCILLOSCOPE

Using a differential scope to make a

measurement across an
ungrounded component.
Fig. 4.

IGNAL IN A

PROBE SHIELDS
TIED TOGETHER

I!'NAL

IN

COMMON GROUND FOR SAFETY

(NOT NEEDED FOR MEASUREMENT)

izes the currents through the loop, thereby

allowing the differential amplifiers to nullify loop current effects by common mode

rejection.
It is not correct to tie both shields together at the probe end and also connect
them to the chassis. This makes a circuit
for ground currents through the shield and
can create measurement errors because of
voltage difference at the scope. It would
also be wrong to leave both shields unconnected at the probe ends. This would permit the shields to act like antennas to pick
up noise.
The probe tips represent a high impedance to the circuit being tested and do not
introduce excessive loading as did the conventional test circuits shown in Figs. 1 and
2. Since the scope chassis is not tied to
a signal high point, there is no ac line noise
introduced.

mode input signal amplitude to the amplitude of the difference signal displayed
on the scope is known as the common
mode rejection ratio. The higher the ratio,
the better the differential amplifier.
5. Conventional scope (A) displays both signal and hum, while a
differential scope (B) displays only
load
resistor.
across the
signal
Fig.

SIGNAL
SOURCE

40V

(AI

Reject Common Mode Signals. One of the

more important uses of a differential measurement is to reduce the effects of a common mode signal such as hum. Common
mode signals are identical with respect to
amplitude and time. Since the output of a

differential amplifier is the difference between its two inputs, a common (identical)
signal on each input will be reduced (but
not eliminated) in the output. There is a
limit as to just how effective a differential
amplifier can be. Its ability to reject common mode signals is known as common
mode rejection. The ratio of the common
70

1.0V

DUAL -TRACE (A -Bl

OR

0.6V

SIGNAL

DIFFERENTIAL
OSCILLOSCOPE

TEST PROBE

SIGNAL

IN A

SIGNAL

IN S

RL

SOURCE
1.0 V

TEST PROBE B

es

HUM

SAFETY GROUND

ce)

POPULAR ELECTRONICS Including Electronics

World

For example, if the common mode signal on both inputs is 10 volts and the signal
produces a scope display of only 0.01 volt,

the common mode rejection ratio is 10/

0.01 or 1000.
Note what happens with a conventional
scope measurement as shown in Fig. 5A.
There is an unwanted 60 -Hz hum signal
in the circuit along with the desired signal.
Assume the hum is 10 volts and the square
wave source is 1 volt, of which, 0.6 volt
appears across the component being tested.
With the conventional scope setup, both
the 0.6-volt signal and the 10 -volt hum
would be displayed, as in Fig. 6A. The
desired signal rides on the bothersome
hum, making the measurement difficult.
But notice what occurs when a differential scope is used as in Fig. 5B. In test
probe A, is the combined signal and hum;
while the hum alone is in probe B. The
scope displays A minus B or only the desired signal across the resistor as shown
in Fig. 6C. The amount of hum that is
rejected depends on the scope's common
mode rejection ratio; and if the latter is
good, the resultant signal would have negligible lu
we have pointed out, the A
mode

-B

(A)

(8)

(C)

Fig. 6. (A) Signal with hum; (B) hum

alone; (C) signal with hum

rejected.

of a dual -trace scope can he used for differential measurements. The common
mode rejection of such a scope, however,
is less than that for a differential amplifier
scope. Nevertheless, the ability to reduce
common mode signals to even a small degree would be all that is needed for making
a good measurement.
O

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A Delta Mark Ten Capacitive Discharge Ignition
(CDI) System On Your Car Slashes Maintenance

Costs And Increases Performance.

Put a Mark Ten on your car and save by eliminating 3 out of 4 tune -ups. Save as gasoline mileage
increases (up to 20 %). The Mark Ten CDI system
also extends spark plug life, promotes more complete combustion and assures instant starts in all
weather. It operates on any 6 or 12 volt negative or
positive ground system.
The Mark Ten B affords additional money saving advantages by drastically reducing combustion
contaminants and restoring power lost by the use
of smog control devices. Equipped with handy
switch for instant return to standard ignition, the
Mark Ten B works with ANY 12 volt negative ground
engine. Both systems install in ten minutes without rewiring.
Order your Mark Ten or Mark Ten B today. Save
money while you enjoy low maintenace and increased performance.

Dept. PE

DELTA PRODUCTS, INC

P O. BOX 1147
GRAND JUNCTION. COLORADO 81501
PHONE (303) 242 -9000

Please send me literature immediately:

(12 volt negative ground only)

Superior Products at Sensible Prices

Mfg. in U.S.A.

CIRCLE NO.
MAY 1973

12

Enclosed is $
Ship ppd.
Ship C.O.D.
Please send:
Mark Ten B @ $59.95 ppd.
Standard Mark Ten (Assembled) @ $44.95 ppd.
Volt: Neg. Ground Only
Positive Ground
12 Volt: Specify
Negative Ground
Standard Mark Ten (Deltakit ") @ $29.95 ppd.
(12 Volt Positive Or Negative Ground Only)
Car Year
Make
Name
Address
City /State
Zip

_
-6
_

Mark Ten (Assembled) $44.95 ppd.

Mark Ten (Deltakit) $29.95 ppd.
Mark Ten B $59.95 ppd.
(Kits available in 12 volt only,
positive or negative ground)

-1

ON READER SERVICE CARD

--

J
71

From Cleveland

atitute of Electronics

learn by doing!
Perform more than 200 exciting experiments
with CIE's fascinating ELECTRONICS
LABORATORY PROGRAM!

72

POPULAR E_ECTRONICS Including Electronics World

You get your own 161 -piece electronics laboratory..,

with authentic electronic components used by industry!

You learn how to construct circuits and

connect them with a soldering iron, which
is part of your CIE laboratory equipment.
This "hands on" experience is extremely
valuable in applying what you learn.

Prepare now for

And with this growth in electronics

technology has come a brand new

... a

demand for thousands of

electronics technicians, trained in

theory and practice to build the
products, operate them and service
them during the Seventies.
Don't just wait for something to
"happen" in your present job. Get
ready now for a career you'll really
enjoy with a good income and plenty
of opportunity for advancement.
Experience with experiments
is your best teacher
"Hands on" experience helps to reinforce basic theory. When you
learn by doing, you discover the
"how" as well as the 'why." You'll
find out for yourself the right way as
well as the wrong way to use electronic components. How to construct
your own circuits, to discover trouble
spots and learn how to fix them. And
with CIEs special Auto-Programmed
Lessons, you learn faster and easier
than you'd believe possible.

CIE's fascinating course, Electronics Technology with Laboratory,

teaches you Electronics by making
it work before your eyes. And you do
it yourself, with your own hands.

Importance of FCC License

and our Money -Back Warranty
Many important jobs require an FCC
License and you must pass a Government licensing exam to get one.
But, a recent survey of 787 CIE
graduates reveals that better than 9
out of 10 CIE grads passed the FCC
License exam.
That's why we can offer this famous Money -Back Warranty: when

you complete our Laboratory Course,

which provides FCC License preparation, you'll be able to pass your
FCC exam or be entitled to a full
refund of all tuition paid. This warranty is valid during the completion
time allowed for your course.
or
You get your FCC License
your money back!

You'll have high paying

job opportunities
Electronics is still young and growing.
In nearly every one of the new exciting fields of the Seventies you find
electronics skills and knowledge are
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CIE Diploma and an FCC License
you can choose the career field you
want ... work for a big corporation, a
small company or even go into business for yourself.
Here's how two outstanding CIE
students carved out new careers:
After his CIE training, Edward J.
Dulaney, President of D & A Menu....

C E

Approved
under
G.I. Bill
All CIE career
courses are ap-

Send now for 2 FREE BOOKS

Mail the reply card or coupon for our
school catalog plus a special book
on how to get your FCC License. For
your convenience, we will try to have
a representative call. If coupon is
missing, write: Cleveland Institute of
Electronics, Inc., 1776 E. 17th St.,
Cleveland. Ohio 44114. Do it now!

Cleveland Institute of Electronics, Inc.

1776 East 17th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44114

am especially interested in

G Electronics Technology with Laboratory

C Industrial Electronics

E Electronics Technology
El

First Class FCC License

Electronics Engineering

Electronic Communications

G Broadcast Engineering

under the G.I. Bill.

If you area Veteran

Name

or in service now,
check box for G.I.

Address

Bill information.

City

D
7

Accredited Member National Home Study Council

benefits

tional

facturing, Inc., Scottsbluff, Nebraska,

moved from TV repairman to lab
technician to radio station chief
engineer to manufacturer of electronic equipment with annual sales
of more than $500,000. Ed Dulaney
says, "While studying with CIE, I
learned the electronics theories that
made my present business possible."
Marvin Hutchens, Woodbridge,
Virginia, says: "I was surprised at the
relevancy of the CIE course to actual
working conditions. I'm now servicing two -way radio systems in the
Greater Washington area. My earnings have increased $3,000. bought
a new home for my family and I feel
more financially secure than ever
before."

Please send me your two FREE books:

1. Your illustrated school catalog, "Succeed in Electronics."
2. Your book, "How to Get a Commercial FCC License."

proved for educa-

CIRCLE NO.
MAY 1973

Modern space -age components like this

IC (integrated circuit) are professional
quality and can be used again and again
in many of your projects. Lesson by lesson,
piece by piece your knowledge grows!

high income career in Electronics...the Science of the Seventies.

Electronic miracles are changing

today's world with breathtaking
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need

Testing and troubleshooting are an important part of your learning experience.

Included in your laboratory is a precision
"multimeter" to diagnose electrical and
electronic troubles quickly and accurately.

Age

(PLEASE PRINT)

State

Veterans and Servicemen: Check here for G.I. Bill information.

ip

PE-45

ON READER SERVICE CARD

75

Hobby Sc ene
Beginner's Lie Detector
Q. I have often wanted to build one of
those "emotion detectors" you have featured in the past. However, I am a beginner and don't feel I am up to building one
with IC's so I haven't tried yet. Do you
know of any simple type of lie detector that
a beginner could try?
A. The circuit shown below is just about
as basic as you can get. The two probes,
which can be almost any kind of smooth
metal rods, are held firmly in the palms
of the hands, and the potentiometer is set

for meter zero. When the subject is embarrassed or lies, the palms of the hands
usually start to perspire, thus changing their
resistance. This changes the transistor bias,
and the meter deflects.

oz

CHAN.

OUT
IN

-I

01

92-CHAN.

during the switching transition and this

is very low. The output is then at the +V
level. When the input goes high, QI turns
on and Q2 turns off. Again only switching
current flows and the output is virtually at
ground. If the load is another MOS circuit,
the latter will have a very high input resistance and require very little current. Only
voltages are being switched. You can also
guess that the actual value of +V is relatively unimportant so a well- regulated supply is not needed.
Battery Troubles
Q. I have a CB rig in my truck and often
use it when the motor is not running. If I do
this for very long, the battery won't start
the truck. What can I do?

A. Other than using a separate battery, you

could try the voltage monitor described in
our August 1972 issue (p 58) .
CMOS Logic Mini -Power
Q. I have been reading about CMOS (com-

plementary metal oxide semiconductor)

logic and still can't understand one thing.
How can it work with such low power requirements?
A. Take a look at the schematic. Note

that
there are two MOSFET's in this typical
CMOS gate -one a p channel and the other
an n channel- connected in series between
the positive supply and ground. When the
input is low (ground), Ql is off forming
a very high resistance and Q2 is on making
a very low resistance. Current flows only
76

An Apology

Well it happened! We goofed. While

gathering information for the March column, we found the so- called NASA voice
filter. We hadn't tried it, but we thought it
looked good and seemed to be the answer
to the SWL's question. While the issue was
being printed, and after it was too late to
do anything about it, we tried the circuit
and suddenly came to the dull realization
that it would not work. It seems that some
joker made a Xerox copy of the circuit with
a NASA byline. We are very sorry that we
propagated the joke.
POPULAR ELECTRONICS Including Electronics World

Product
Test Reports
LAFAYETTE SQA -50 4- CHANNEL AMPLIFIER /DECODER
(A

LAFAYETTE

Radio

Hirsch -Houck Labs Report)

Electronics

THE
Model SQA -50 is an inexpensive ($49.95),
low -power 4- channel amplifier with a built in matrix decoder section. It is designed
principally for converting a stereo system to

quadraphonic operation.
The amplifier/ decoder is a compact and
lightweight unit. It measures 9%"
X 3- 3/16" and weighs a little more than 5
pounds. It contains four IC power amplifiers, a power supply, and a seven -transistor
decoder circuit. Two quadraphonic matrices
are provided. The first is for SQ- encoded
material. The COMPOSER matrix synthesizes
rear -channel information from the out -ofphase signals contained in most stereo program material. A third position on the mode
switch shunts the four AUX inputs around
the matrix circuits when discrete 4- channel
tapes are played.
The separate front and rear channel amplifier gain controls are concentric pairs with
slip -clutch action that permits the user to
adjust each of the four channels independently. There are separate front and rear
jacks on the front panel for use with
4- channel headphones. On the rear panel
are all input and speaker output connectors
(both groups phono types) and a line fuse.
The SQA-50 connects into an existing
MAY 1973

stereo system in a rather unique manner.

Two shall input transformers are driven
from the stereo amplifier's speaker outputs.
Then the original front speakers are plugged
into the front outputs, while a second pair
of speakers is plugged into the unit's rear
speaker outputs. After balancing the levels
in each channel, the volume control of the
stereo amplifier controls the levels in all four
channels and its other controls select the
program source and tone characteristics.
The amplifier /decoder carries a music
power rating of 12 watts L- 1 dB, or 3 watts/
channel at 1000 Hz into 8 -ohm loads. It is
designed to drive only 8-ohm speakers of
relatively high efficiency. The rated frequency response is 60- 20,000 Hz -3dB, and
hum is stated at -60 dB with the reference
level unspecified.

Laboratory Tests. We tested the SQA 50 with all four channels driven into 8-ohm
loads. Its output power at the clipping point
was 1.4 watts /channel at 1000 Hz. The unit
is not recommended for use with 4-ohm
speakers, a provision that was immediately
obvious when we measured only 0.185 watt
channel at the clipping level into 4 -ohm
loads.
At the recommended 12 o'clock volume
control setting, the unit required 1.15 volts
at its AUX inputs or 3.3 volts (equivalent to
1.35 watts) at its speaker inputs to drive the
amplifier to full power output. According
to the published specifications, at maximum
gain, the driving source should be able to
deliver at least 1.5 volts to the speaker inputs or 250 mV to the AUX inputs.
The frequency response met its specification, being down only 1 dB at 70 Hz and
20,000 Hz ( -3 dB at 30 Hz) with the signal
applied through the AUX inputs. The re77

LAFAYETTE SQA-50

5dB-.:

..:r_ . . .

.. ... .
...

...

-LF

it

DISCRETE INPUT
LF OUTPUT 8f1LOAD),DISCRETE MODE
L SPEAKER INPUT
LF OUTPUT(8f1LOAD).
SO MODE

10 o

FREQUENCY (Hz)

spouse was similar when the SQ matrix Kvas

switched into the circuit, the -3 -dB point
falling at 60 Hz.
The low- frequency power of the SQA -50
is very limited. But the 60 -Hz distortion was
a respectable 1.54.6 percent at output levels of either 0.1 watt or 1.0 watt. At frequencies from 1000 to 20,000 Hz, the distortion at 1 watt was between 0.073 and
0.27 percent. At 0.1 watt, it was slightly
higher, ranging from 0.15 to 0.27 percent.
The hum and noise output was low -about
65 -69 dB below 1 watt at normal gain settings and 54 -66 dB down at maximum gain,
depending on the operating mode.
We were concerned about the ability of
the tiny input transformers to handle- the
output of a fairly powerful amplifier. Our
fears were groundless. From 60 Hz to
20,000 Hz, the equivalent of more than 50
watts at the input was required to produce
significant distortion by core saturation.
Even at 20 Hz, as much as 10 watts of drive
could be applied without encountering serious distortion.

General Comments. The Lafayette Model

SQA -50 amplifier decoder was designed to

convert low- powcred stereo compacts and
portable systems to quadraphonic operation.
It would seem that it does this job quite
satisfactorily since its low power is not much
less than that of most portable or compact
systems. (And the use of four channels goes
a long way- toward restoring ally apparent
loss of loudness. )
The input transformers electrically isolate
the SQA -50 from its associated amplifier.
Presumably, this would allow the unit to be
used even with transformerless amplifiers
without risking a shock hazard. Although it
could be used Nvith a stereo amplifier of almost any power rating, it is likely that the
low power of the SQA -50 would unfavorably contrast with any amplifier rated at
more than 15 watts rms of output power.
The successful use of this unit obviously
depends on fairly efficient speaker systems
for the rear channels. This reinforces its
suitability for low -power systems which
would already have efficient speakers. Small,
efficient speakers characteristically have
limited bass response, further complementing the characteristics of the SQA-50.

Circle No. 65 on Reader Service Card

ELECTRO-VOICE MODELS 1711 AND 1751 MICROPHONES

(A Hirsch -Houck Labs Report)

CONDENSER microphones are noted for

their smooth, wide frequency response, a
fact that makes them the finest recording
mikes around. Also, their performance and
78

stability make them ideal for acoustics

measurements; so, almost all loudspeakers
are tested with condenser mikes. But condenser microphones also have their drawbacks, not the least of which are the high
prices -often several hundred dollars -they
demand.
A conventional microphone requires a do
polarizing voltage that can often exceed 100
volts. Since the condenser element must
operate into a very high impedance, usually
on the order of tens of megohms, an electronic impedance transforming circuit must
be built in to provide a more conventional
low- impedance output. At one time, this
transformation required a vacuum -tube
POPULAR ELECTRONICS Including Electronics World

A slide switch on the side of the handle

turns on and off the FET circuit. Failure to

cathode follower circuit powered by a bulky

external power supply. Today, however, the
sanie job can be done with a compact FET
source follower circuit powered by a small
battery, the whole of which can be fitted
into the mike case or handle.
The development of practical electrets
has radically changed the condenser mike
stalemate. The electret is, in effect, a solid state capacitor whose dielectric stores a
permanent electrostatic charge. This eliminates the need for a do polarizing voltage,
making possible a practical, relatively low cost condenser microphone for the consumer market.
Among the companies introducing electret condenser microphones is ElectroVoice. We selected (from their series) the
Model 711 omnidirectional mike selling for
$59.70 and the Model 1751 cardioid- pattern
mike that sells for $75. The models are similar in frequency response, dimensions, and
external appearance.
The mikes have light aluminum anodized
housings and weigh only 4.5 ounces, including battery. Not including the cable con-

turn off the switch after use, however, will

not quickly run down the battery. In fact,
since the current drain during operation is

only 0.4 mA, the battery should deliver its

shelf life if left on caiit,nuously.
The two mikes have similar response ratings of 60 to 15,000 Hz. The 1751 cardioid
version has about 7 dB greater output for
the sanie sound pressure level (SPL). Both
mikes have balanced outputs rated at 150
ohms.
La boratory Tests. The microphones were
tested in a reverberant field, located about
12 ft from a wide -range loudspeaker.
The frequency response of the speaker was
plotted with a sweeping signal generator and
a graphic level recorder. Then a calibrated
Altee 2113R150 condenser microphone was
substituted for the microphone under test,
after which the measurement was repeated. The differences between the two
curves, added to the calibration curve of the
reference microphone, yielded a response
curve for the test microphone.
Since the reference mike is also Omni -directional, this technique is reasonably valid
for the Model 1711 mike. In the case of the
Model 1751 cardioid mike, sound reaching
it from the sides or rear contributes very
little to its total output. This would be expected to show a roll -off in response at high
frequencies where cardioid directivity is

nector, they are 8 in. in overall length. The

7 /8 -in. diameter shank is suitable for handheld use or for stand mounting via the clip on plastic holder that is supplied. The microphone section itself measures 2% in. long
by 1% in. in diameter. Its end is protected
by a rugged wire mesh. An 18 -ft two conductor shielded cable with a three -pin
audio connector that mates with the Switch craft A3F socket built into the microphone
handle comes with the mike.
The handle of the mike unscrews for
snap -in installation of a single AA cell that
powers the FET impedance -matching stage.

most effective.
The Model 1711 had a
extended -frequency response
measurement range. It was
to 15.000 Hz, rising at lower

very smooth
over our full
4 dB from 55
frequencies to

+10

+5

m
o

z_
41

h -5
z
0
O.

-10

-.E -V ELECTRET

rc

711

1751

-15

MICROPHONES

OMNIDIRECTIONAL
CARDIOID

10000

FREQUENCY, Hz
MAY 1973

79

+ 10 dB at 30 Hz. The only significant irregularity in the curve was a dip and peak of
about 4 dB (accounting for the greatest
variation over the full range) at 500 Hz and
700 Hz.
The Model 1751 was flatter at low and
middle frequencies
2.5 dB, 33 -1500 Hz) ,
with a broad rise of about 5 dB in the 4000 Hz region and a smooth roll -off at higher
frequencies. This was expected because of
the mike's directivity. Its output was 7 dB
greater than that of the Model 1711 at the
middle frequencies, as specified.

(-

General Comments. Although the response

curves clearly illustrated that the ElectroVoice electret mikes are first -rate performers, our ultimate test was to make tape recordings with each mike on one channel and
our reference mike on the other channel of
a stereo recorder. Both E -V mikes had
smooth extended highs that closely matched
the sound of the reference mike. The mid range and lows seemed to lack a bit of
Circle No. 66

warmth, but our program material was limited to a male voice with which we would
not consider this weakness as being significant. During the test, we checked the directivity of the Model 1751 mike and found it
to be very effective.
The only really audible difference between the E -V and reference mikes (the latter rather expensive) was in the background
noise levels. At high amplification, our reference mike exhibited some audible hum but
virtually no hiss. The EN mikes, being battery powered, had absolutely no hum but a
somewhat more audible hiss level that was
not audible at normal gain settings.
The mikes have effective `pop" filters and
sound as good in close -up talking as they do
at a distance. Their electret elements are
rugged and are claimed to be impervious
to humidity and to withstand temperatures
of from 0 to 110 F. Best of all, their
sound quality has a range and smoothness
that we have not previously found except in
much more expensive mikes.

on Reader Service

Card

HEATH MODEL IM -1202 DIGITAL MULTIMETER

KIT

three years ago in this depart-

ABOUT
ment, we predicted the eventual demise
of the traditional VOM as the then new
transistor multimeter (TMM) was making
its appearance in the test equipment market. Quite frankly, we called it wrong. The
VOM is still going strong, while the TMM is
taking a back seat to the up and coming

digital instruments.
While practical digital
multimeters
(DMM's) have been available for several
years, their prices have hardly been an inducement for the average experimenter and
technician to rush out to buy them -until
very recently. During the past couple of
80

years, manufacturer costs and supplier

prices for all types of solid -state devices
including linear and digital IC's -have been
steadily dropping. The result has been a considerable reduction in the prices demanded
for DMA's. Even so, DMM's that sell for
less than 5100 are still very rare. But the
Heath Company has busted right through
the $100 price barrier with the introduction
of their Model IM -1202 digital multimeter
kit that sells for S79.95.
The IM -1202 is a 23 -digit DMM providing accuracy and versatility that heretofore could be obtained only in much higher
priced instruments. It is a true multimeter
in the sense that it offers the user the full
line of voltage, current, and resistance measuring functions in the most useful ranges
for general -purpose bench servicing and
experimenting.
At first glance, the IM -1202 might fool
you into thinking that it is a conventional
VOM. First of all, its case looks like that of
a VOM, measuring 7h." by 5- 3/16" by 334"
with a molded carrying handle. The layout
of the front panel also adds strongly to the
illusion; it contains the usual function,
range, and polarity reversal switches and input banana jacks for test leads. It is only
when one looks at the top of the front panel
POPULAR ELECTRONICS Including Electronics World

that the illusion of an "ordinary" VOM

vanishes. There is an oblong filter panel, behind which is located the instrument's
readout display, where one would normally
expect to find a meter movement.
Technical Data. The IM- 12O2's display
consists of two Amperex gas- discharge 0-9
indicator tubes and a large "1" neon lamp
that provide a 2I-digit capability. Another
large neon lamp is used as an OVERRANCE
indicator, while a pair of smaller lamps are
" +" and "
polarity indicators.
The function switch has positions for OFF,
DCmA, Dcv, Acv, AcmA, and K (200e). The
five -position range switch is labelled (200e)
2, 20, 200, and 2000. A rocker switch labelled " +" and "
on alternate p >sitions is
used for selecting the do test polarity for
voltage and current. The only other things
on the front panel are three color -coded
banana jacks labelled mA/I2, c, and v (MAX.
I KV DC OR PP).
The dc voltage measuring range of the
MINI is from 10 mV to 1000 V with a full scale accuracy of 1 percent, while the current range is from 10A to 2000 mA (both
ac and dc) with an accuracy of 1.5 percent. On ac, voltage measurements can be

-"

-"

made over a range from 10 mV to 700 V

rms at a 1.5- percent full -scale accuracy. The
frequency response for both ac voltage and
current measurements is 25- 10,000 Hz.
The lower limit for resistance measurements
is 1 ohm, going up to 2 megohms on the
highest range, with full -scale accuracy of
2.0 percent. All quoted accuracies are in
addition to a 1 -digit accuracy.
The input irripedance /resistance is nominally 1 megohm on all voltage ranges. On
the current ranges, the -maximum drop is 2
volts. On all functions, the overrange capability is 25 percent. This last is within the
maximum input limits of: 3 A into ac and
dc mA; 700 V rms ac (140 V rms on 2-volt
range) ; and 1000 V dc (200 V dc on 2-volt

range).
Built into the kit's circuitry are full facilities for calibration of all functions and
ranges. There are various test points on the
main circuit board to which the test prod is
touched while making the adjustments called
for in the "Tests and Calibration" section of
the assembly manual provided with the kit.
No external test equipment is needed to get
the instrument into working order, though
external test equipment can be used if
desired.

avant%

Astroplane
gives CBer's Performance to brag about.
short out, and with direct

The unique construction features are exceptional.

4.46 db gain over isotropic
is, and provides, a stronger
transmit and a stronger receive.
To make use of the better

ground construction for positive lightning protection and

static dissipation.
$29.95 Sugg. Retail
Gain 4.46 over isotropic
Power Capacity 2KW

signal,the Astroplane radiates

the signal from higher up than
other CB antennas and at a
better angle. According to Dr.
Alva Todd of the Midwest College of Engineering, "it possesses an unusually low angle
of maximum radiation." This
low angle of radiation means
that your power is radiated at
the horizon and not up into
the clouds.
You'll also get long lasting,
trouble -free performance because it is compact in design
-without long drooping radials, without coils to burn or

Lightning protection D.C.

Ground
V.S.W.R.

Free 16 page color catalog

Write: Avanti, R & D, Inc.

35 W. Fullerton
Addison, Illinois 60101

1v1nt\

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT,

CIRCLE NO.
MAY 1973

1.2:1

12 Ft.
Length
Diameter 3O In.

creators of the
famous

INC.

ON READER SERVICE CARD

81

Comments. We assembled our kit in

roughly 732 hours, working at a slow pace
to avoid making errors on the logic /readout
board. The main circuit board required less
care, due to its relatively uncluttered layout.
So, in all, we had our multimeter ready to
go in about 10 hours from the time we
opened the carton to the point at which we
fastened down the last screw.
Since we had at our disposal a precision

ac /dc voltage standard and a number of

precision -tolerance resistors (some in the
0.1- percent range), we decided to find out
exactly how accurate was our DMM. Needless to say, we were very satisfied with the
results obtained from our tests based on
using the kit's built-in calibration mechanism. We uncovered a couple of small errors
that were \yell within the published accuracy

specifications.

Circle No. 67 on Reader Service Card

PACE

MODEL 223 CB TRANSCEIVER

o NE$110WOULD
hardly expect to pay only
for

a completely equipped 23channel, crystal- synthesized CB transceiver,

yet that is what you get in Pace's new Model
223 transceiver. There are no extras to buy
for that $110, and it is a made -in- the -USA
rig that carries a two -year performance
guarantee.
Designed for mobile service where a 1214 -volt do power source is available, the
223 has the usual features of compactness, an adjustable squelch, a full -time noise
limiter, and a push -to -talk ceramic microphone with retractable coiled cord. There is
no meter or "delta" tune, facilities that are
not really needed in mobile installations,
nor are there provisions for public address
operation which is seldom used anyhow.
The rig features just the essentials for getting the job done. But it has one unusual
feature: a theft -proof mobile mounting
bracket.

Technical Details. The receiver section of

the 223 transceiver employs single conversion to a 455-kHz i -f with which an image
rejection of 25 dB is obtained (better than
usual for such a setup) and that provides an
adjacent-channel selectivity checked out at
45 dB. The latter is made possible through
the use of six tuned circuits in the i -f strip
set up in a bandpass configuration.
The front end of the receiver contains the
customary r -f amplifier and provides good
sensitivity that we measured at 0.65 V for
10 dB (S + N) /N. Included was an age
scheme that maintained an a -f output level
within 5 dB with an input change of 10 dB
(at 1 -3 .V) and within 3 dB with an input
variation of 70 dB (at 3- 10,000 07), making
for relatively uniform output levels with
widely differing input signals. The squelch
82

threshold was adjustable for a sensitivity of

1 to 1000 /IV.
The a-f amplifier uses a power transistor
in a single -ended circuit that delivers approximately 2 watts into an oval speaker
located at the left side of the rig's case.
The transmitter section, operating up to
the full legal input of 5 watts, is straightforward, with the crystal -synthesized carrier
signals amplified and applied to the r-f
power -output amplifier. The output circuit
includes the customary network for matching to 50 -ohm antenna loads and for minimizing harmonics. With operation from a
13.8-volt do source, the 223's carrier output
turned out to be 3.5 watts, while a 12 -volt
source reduced it to 2.5 watts. At an 80 F
ambient temperature, the frequency tolerance held to 0.002 percent or less on all
channels.
As usual, the receiver a -f power amplifier
is used as the modulator for the transmitter.
With our test unit, we obtained plenty of
modulation, up to 100 percent with clipping.
We also noted that the positive peak modulation was somewhat higher than on the
negative peaks -even going a bit over 100
percent -resulting in an advantageous
assymmetry that produced good upward
modulation at a very high average level for
a really hefty signal.
General Comments. The Pace 223 transceiver is an attractive rig, housed in a scuff resistant case. The channel selector dial is
POPULAR ELECTRONICS Including Electronics World

well illuminated for easy channel identification during night -time use.
The mobile mounting bracket clamps all
the way around the transceiver case with
the rig secured inside by a catch that pulls
the bracket tightly together, making it impossible to slide the unit out of its bracket.
A wing on the catch is provided with a
hole for a padlock (supplied by the buyer)

that prevents the catch from being opened.

Circle No.

68 on

For added security, the mounting screws tor

the bracket are inaccessible when the rig is
installed. While this system is a good deterrent against theft, removal of the lock enables the user to release the catch and
loosen the grip on the transceiver without
effort. On receive, the power drain at 13.8
volts is 1 ampere (unsquelched) and 150 mA
squelched. On transmit, the drain is 1.8
amperes.

Reader Service Card

ARCHERKIT DELUXE ELECTRONIC IGNITION SYSTEM

OVER the years, we have read a considerable number of articles devoted to the
various approaches used in obtaining electronic engine ignition and have become
somewhat authoritative on the subject. We
have also tested a few capacitive- discharge
ignition systems that have later appeared as
construction projects in these pages. Until
now, however, we have had nothing to do
with commercial systems.
Our introduction to the commercial product came from Radio Shack in a box containing all the parts needed for assembling
their Archerkit Deluxe Capacitive Discharge
Ignition system ($40) We might add that
the kit arrived at a rather opportune moment. We had been noticing that our four year -old family car was losing its "zip"
when we tried to pass slower moving vehicles. This wouldn't have been so bad if it
weren't for the fact that the loss of pep
created a potentially dangerous situation for
us when trying to blend into expressway
traffic. Repeated tune-ups did little to improve matters.
We were obviously interested in the
Archerkit C /D ignition system. We became
even more interested when we read what
the new system was supposed to be able to
do. According to the Archer people, it
would develop 50 percent more spark energy for more complete combustion, and increase the spark magnitude by up to five
times for better firing, especially in cold
weather. Such an approach should also reduce the need for tune -ups by increasing
point life from three to ten times and provide 10 to 20 percent better gas mileage.
The deluxe C/D ignition system can be
used with any 4 -, 6 -, or 8- cylinder engine
that operates from a 12 -Volt, negative ground, electrical system. No rewiring of
the engine's ignition system is required.
.

Assembly. The kit went together in just

about 4 hours, ending up in a compact
weather -sealed case that measures 5" X
3h" X 3 ". Installation took only a few
minutes, with most of the time spent in
drilling three holes in an inside wheel well
to accept the case's mounting screws. This
done, we connected up the wiring to the
appropriate points in the electrical system,
guided all the way by an excellently prepared and illustrated manual included with
the kit.
After installation, we checked the system's and engine's operation with a CRT
ignition analyzer that let us see both the
standard and new C 'D system in operation.
There was quite a difference in waveforms,
particularly the high voltages delivered to
the spark plugs. We were able to check engine performance with and without the C/D
ignition system by operating a switch installed in the end of the case of the kit.
Everything looked to be in order; so, we
took the car out for a test drive.
After an hour or so of driving, in both
passing and following situations, we noted
that the engine was acting the way it did two
years and 20,000 miles ago. There was a
definite improvement in performance. Acceleration, specifically, was much improved.

Circle No. 69 on Reader Service Card

MAY 1973

83

Amateur
2 -Meter
FM Repeaters
BY WILLARD

R.

MOODY

WA3NFW

REPEATERS GREATLY EXTEND VHF RANGE.

THERE IS ONE PRESENTLY IN EARTH ORBIT.

over 1000 miles are not a rarity using this

repeater.
The concept of the repeater has been in
use for same time by commercial communication companies, as well as by the ham
fraternity. With repeaters, hams going cross country can greatly extend their operating
range; and even hand -held portables can be
heard as far away as a more powerful base
station.
A block diagram of a typical repeater is
shown in Fig. 1. In this case, the repeater
transmitter operates at 146.34 MHz while
the receiver is tuned to 146.94 MHz. Entry
into the repeater is determined by a control
circuit which may be as simple as a carrier operated relay that turns on the repeater

AREPEATER is a modified transceiver

that accepts an input r -f signal at one
frequency and retransmits it at another r -f
frequency. Usually mounted at points of excellent area coverage (on top of hills, towers,
etc.) , a number of amateur 2 -meter band
repeaters have greatly expanded the usage
of this vhf band. One example of how far
repeaters have advanced is the Oscar 6
amateur radio satellite now orbiting the
earth. This really "far out" repeater has enabled 2 -meter hams (144 -148 MHz) to
make clean contacts almost anywhere in the
world where Oscar can be "seen" simultaneously by both parties. Several contacts
have been made recently between 2 -meter
hams in the U. S. and Japan. Contacts of
STATION

STATION

TRANSMITTER

RECEIVER

146.34

146.94

MHz

MHz

RECEIVER

TRANSMITTER

146.94

146.34

MHz

MHz

Fig. 1. Diagram of basic repeater op-

eration. Control system determines

if it is for general or private use.
.

TRANSMITTER

RECEIVER

146.94

146.34

MHz

MHz

CONTROL
SYSTEM

J
REPEATER

84

POPULAR ELECTRONICS Including Electronics World

when a received carrier (within the receiver's bandpass) exceeds some predetermined level. On the other hand, the control
circuit may require a special series of audio
tones (known only to club members) or it
may have to be turned on remotely by one
of the club members. Why only club members? ecause a relatively sophisticated repeater may represent quite an investment of
time and money on the part of the amateur
radio club which operates it.
The two stations involved must have
transmitters operating at the receiving frequency of the repeater and must be able to
receive at the transmitted frequency of the
repeater. Although the 2 -meter frequencies
previously mentioned are commonly used,
other frequencies are possible-usually separated by about 600 kHz.
In the case of the Oscar satellite, a different approach is used (Fig. 2). The input
frequencies to the satellite repeater are from
145.9 to 146 \IHz, and it transmits on the
10 -meter band from 29.45 to 29.55 \IHz.
Potential Is Great. The potential use for
space repeater systems is enormous. Hams
have been experimenting for many years
with moon bounce-using the moon as a
passive reflector or mirror. However, transmission losses are very high due to the
passive nature of the moon, and the radio
waves are highly attenuated as they travel
the long distance through space. With
Oscar however, signal reinforcement produces a far better signal -to -noise ratio and
greatly improves the performance. In fact,
establishing contacts across the Atlantic or
the Pacific is quite common -feats that
OSCAR

SATELLITE
(REPEATER)

STATION

INPUT: 146.34MHz

.VOUTPUT:146.94MHz

V
TRANSMITTER

MAY 1973

TELEPHONE LINE---

TONE
GENERATOR

HOME

TELEPHONE

'L

Fig. 3. Basic auto -patch communication

system for the 2 -meter amateur band.

were considered impossible only a few short

'ears ago.

Another exciting aspect of amateur 2meter FM and repeaters, is the use of the
"auto patch" (Fig. 3) The mobile ham
simply "calls" auto patch and operates a
pushbutton tone generator (such as used in
home phones) to get a land-line connection.
In this case, the connection between the
mobile and the remote phone is a radio
link. This service is a great asset when
traveling in remote areas or in the event of
an emergency.
.

Repeater Locations. Each section of the

country has its own repeater locations, determined by the club members who operate
them. Local 2 -meter hams are aware of
these locations.
While 2 -meter FM repeater operation is
very popular, repeaters have also been used
on the 6 -meter ham band; and there seems
to be great potential for use in the uhf
bands.
An excellent treatment of repeaters can
be found in the ARRL publication The
Radio Amateur's VHF Manual. It is $2.50
at many electronic distributors -especially
those that handle ham gear. Frequencies for
virtually all amateur operation in the 2meter band and standard direct and repeater frequencies are given in QST magazine for May 1972.
Q.
1

1/

29.45- 29.55MHz

2. The Oscar earth satellite

repeater receives 2 -meter transmission, transmits on 10 meters.
Fig.

RECEIVER

CONTROL
SYSTEM

RECEIVER

145.9- 146.0MHz

29.45- 29.55MHz

REPEATER

PUSHBUTTON

2 -METER

FM MOBILE
XCVR

TRANSMITTER

145.9- 146.0MHz

J
85

VIIP

MAC'S SERVICE SHOP

Biological Effects
of Electrical Shock

By John T. Frye, W9EGV, KHD4167

MATILDA, office girl at Mac's Service

Shop, paused in her typing to listen to
the voices of her employer and his assistant
coming through the open door of the service
department. They were engaged in what
Barney had solemnly assured her was going
to be a "serious discussion."
"Okay, boss," Barney was saying, "I un-

derstand we're going to talk about what

happens to the human body when it's exposed to various kinds and amounts of electricity, but where did this poop come from?
Who dug it up?"
"The `poop,' as you call it, represents the
fruit of serious experiments by distinguished
scientists in Russia, England, and this country, going back as far as 1775. On this card
I've typed a list of some of the references I
consulted while boning up on the subject,
and I want you to read several of them.
When through, you'll have a lot of respect
for such names as Dalziel, Ferris, Lee, Kiselev, and Kouwenhoven. In our little talk,
though, I do not intend to tie each finding to
a certain experimenter. Instead I'll quote
facts and figures that represent more or less
a consensus, which will not be difficult because the separate findings lie reassuringly
close together.
"Okay, how much voltage is safe ?"
"We're not going to talk about voltage.
Current is what affects the living organism,
and current cannot be directly related to
voltage applied to the human body because
the resistance of the body varies so widely.
For instance, dry skin has an average resistance of 100,000 to 500,000 ohms, but this
falls to 1000 ohms when covered with perspiration and on down to 150 ohms when
immersed in water. If areas are flayed so the
electrodes are in contact with subcutaneous
tissue, the resistance falls to only 100 ohms
between the ears and to 500 ohms from
flayed hand to flayed foot. Resistance also
86

varies greatly with the area in contact with

the electrode. Since current equals voltage
divided by resistance, this means the same
voltage can produce a great range of current.
For example, 110 volts ac can produce 1 mA
through dry skin, 110 mA through perspiring skin, and 0.75 ampere when applied to a
body in a bathtub or shower. This explains,
in part, why people have been electrocuted
with less than 50 volts, while others have
survived contact with thousands of volts."
Direct and General Shock. "Before we get

started on the effects of various amounts of

current on the body, let's make a distinction
between the direct effect of electric shock
and general shock to the nervous system.
The latter is evidenced by news stories in
which a person dies of excitement while
watching a football game, of fright in a
fender-dimpling accident, or even of joy at
the receipt of good news. For these people,
no current they can feel and be startled by,
no matter how slight, is safe and may result
in a fatality; although the death should be
charged to nervous system shock rather than
to the primary effect of electric current.
"Over the years literally hundreds of men
and women have been tested for their response to electrical currents. One of the first
things experimenters established was the
threshold of perception current. The subject
usually held a small current-carrying wire in
each hand or substituted a brass plate tapped
with a forefinger for one of the wires while
the available current was gradually increased
until it could be felt. The mean current at
this point was found to be about 1.1 mA for
men and 0.7 mA for women. To be on the
safe side, the 0.5 percentile value of these
measurements, 0.5 mA, is generally established as the current level below which there
is little likelihood that an electric current
will be felt when applied to unbroken skin
POPULAR ELECTRONICS

Including Electronics World

of the hands. Some other areas of the body

are inure sensitive to electric current, the

tongue being the most sensitive. Only 45

microamperes of current can be perceived
by it, more in the wav of a taste-bud stimulation than the usual sensation of shock."
" \What happens when you increase the
current ?"
"The next thing the experimenters wanted
to know was the maximum let -go current. As
60 -Hz ac current is increased from the threshold value, the muscles begin to contract
lentil finally yoiuntary control of then is lost.
Beyond a certain yaloe, called the let -go
current, it is impossible for the subject to
release a current- carrying electrode. Average
values for this let -go current were found to
be 16 mA for men and 10.5 mA for women.
Again applying the 0.5 percentile values,
these became 9 mA for mien and 6 mA for
women. Incidentally, this :3/2 ratio of current tolerance for teen and women prevailed
\Vonien's
throughout most of the tests
Lib members will pardon the observation! It
was also found that 60 -Hz oc is four to five
times more dangerous than do because ac
causes more severe muscular contractions
and produces sweating that lowers the skin
resistance. Let -go current increases with frequency. At 500(1 Hz, the let -go current is
more than three times the value at 60 Hz.
"Currents greater than about 18 niA contract the chest muscles and stop breathing
during the shock, but breathing resumes
when the current ceases. However if the current continues, collapse, unconsciousness,
and death result in a few minutes from lack
of oxygen to vital organs. Currents much
above 20 mA are considered too dangerous
to apply deliberately to human beings; so
experiments must 1w conducted on animals
and the data extrapolated to unan. While this
leaves much to be desired, it's not easy to
recruit volunteers for destructive testing."
"I'd think not!" Barney muttered.
"Most tests on animals were directed toward determining the maximum non-fibrillating current in adults. Ventricular fibrillation is a medical term describing a usually
fatal interference with the heart's electrical
activity. Just as a car's ignition system keeps
all the cylinders firing in a smooth and powerful sequence, so dues the heart generate
and conduct timed pulses of electrical current that contract ventricular muscle fibers
in a coordinated and rhythmic fashion to
produce maximum blood- pumping efficiency.
An abnormal stimulation of the heart can
n

-if

MAY 1973

greatest advance in soldering

since electricity
!

WAHL Cordless
SOLDERING IRON
Wahl "Iso -Tip" gives soldering heat in 5
seconds. Lets you solder up to 100 joints*'
unhindered by cord and plug anywhere!
Recharger /converter plugs into 12V cigarette
lighter. Safe to use on sensitive components.
See your dealer or order direct.
7565 Kit with 12V Auto Charger
$18.95
7500 Kit with 120V AC Charger
$19.95
(Depending upon wire
conditions.)

size.

temperature

and

atmospheric

WAHL CLIPPER
2902 Locust St.

CIRCLE NO.

38

CORPORATION Dept.2
Sterling. III. 61081 (815) 625 -6525
ON READER SERVICE CARD

1W11111111111Iilil

STp

12 REASONS YOUR CAR NEEDS

TIGER CDI

Instant starting in any weather- Eliminates tune -ups Increases gas mileage - Increases horsepower 15% Improves acceleration and performance - Spark plugs
last up to 70,000 miles- Reduces engine maintenance
expense - Amplifies spark plug voltage to 45,000 volts
- Maintains spark plug voltage to 10,000 RPM - 'Reduces exhaust emissions - Dual ignition switch - An
Unconditional LIFETIME GUARANTEE - Installs
in 10 minutes on any car with 12 volt negative ground
- No rewiring - Most powerful, efficient and reliable
Solid State Ignition made.
SATISFACTION GUARANTEED or money back.
TIGER 500 assembled
$49.95
TIGER SST assembled
39.95
TIGER SST Simpli -Kit
29.95
Post Paid in U.S.A.
Send check or money order with order to:

-771:Star Corporation
Dept. W, P. O. Box 1946
Grand Junction, Colorado 81501

DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED

CIRCLE NO. 35 ON READER SERVICE CARD
87

make it start acting as a car would if someone instantaneously scrambled the spark
plug wires. Muscle fibers contract independently in an uncoordinated, asynchronous
fashion that sets the heart to quivering and
destroys entirely any effective pumping action. For all practical purposes, the heart
stops and asphyxial death occurs in a few
minutes. Once ventricular fibrillation starts
in man, it rarely stops naturally before
death."
Results. "Experimenters
Experimental
have electrocuted hundreds of animals including horses, calves, sheep, pigs, dogs, and
smaller animals with gradually increasing
60 -Hz current while monitoring the heart's
action with an ECG to detect the onset of
fibrillation. Were Matilda listening- which,
of course, she isn't-I'd assure her the animals were anesthetized before the experiments." He paused, and Matilda's fingers began guiltily pecking away at the typewriter

keys.

He went on, "Here are some conclusions

reached: current through the heart -for example, from hand to hand or hand to foot
is needed to produce fibrillation. That's why,
if you must work on a hot circuit, you should
keep one hand in your pocket and make sure
you're standing on insulating material.
Whether or not fibrillation occurs depends
on the weight of the subject, the strength
and duration of the current, and when a
short shock occurs with regard to the heart's
cycle. Ventricular fibrillation is unlikely to
occur in a normal adult if the shock intensity is less than 116/t'= mA, where t is in
seconds. This means the maximum non fibrillating current for a 1- second shock is
116 mA; but for a 4- second shock it is only
half that value. As the weight goes down, so
does the maximum non- fibrillating current.
A value of current an adult can endure safely may electrocute a child."
"What does the timing of short shocks
have to do with it?"
"There is a recovery period just after the
ventricle has contracted when it is particularly susceptible to being triggered into fibrillation by stimulation. This corresponds
with the `T -wave' of the ECG display. If a
random self-generated pulse of the heart,
called a `premature ventricular contraction,'
falls on a T-wave, it can trigger fibrillation
so that the heart, especially a diseased heart,
can, in effect, electrocute itself. A pulse of
external current penetrating the heart at this

88

sens`t`ve moment can have the same effect.

"Currents of 100 to 200 mA are the values
most likely to produce fibrillation when applied to the exterior of the body. Above 200
mA the heart muscles are clamped so tightly
by the current that there is no movement,
not even the quivering of fibrillation. A
heavy current of short duration may well be
less dangerous than one in the range of 100
to 200 mA. This also explains why fibrillation is stopped in a cardiac intensive care
unit by a heavy- current counter shock that
stops the random, ineffective activity of the
heart completely and allows it `to start all
over' in the proper manner."
"But too much current actually sears tissue the way those electric hot dog cookers
sear weiners," Barney pointed out.
"Right. It's a grisly subject, but we know
a little about what heavy currents do to the
human body from examination of the bodies
of electrocuted criminals. In a typical electrocution, 2000 volts was fed to moistened.
sponge -lined electrodes applied to the
shaven skull and a leg. The voltage was immediately dropped to 500 volts and then
raised and lowered between these two values
of voltage every 30 seconds for two minutes.
The current varied from 4 to 8 amperes. A
temperature of 128 F was measured at the
site of a leg electrode 15 minutes after the
electrocution, and the blood was found to be
profoundly altered electrochemically."
"Let's get off that subject," Barney said
with a shiver. "A few years hack, I remember reading stories in both Time and the
prestigious Wall Street Journal quoting some
authority as saying that 1200 patients were
accidentally electrocuted in hospitals every
year. Know anything about that ?"
"That was in 1969, when Dr. Carl Waldemar Walter of Boston's Peter Bent Brigham
Hospital and professor of surgery at the
I-Iarvard Medical School was alleged to have
said that. His statement hit hard because Dr.
Walter was chairman of the National Fire
Protection Association that drafts safety
codes for electrical devices. The figure was
hotly disputed by many members of the
AMA as being exaggerated and, to my
knowledge, was never really proved true or
false; but the story dici serve to focus attention on this type of electrocution that can

happen.
"Dr. Arbeit, writing in the June 19, 1972,
issue of the JAMA, cites fifteen cases of accidental electric shocks delivered to hospital
patients, at least five of which were fatal;
and does

POPULAR ELECTRONICS Including Electronics World

and an ECG machine or monitor was involved in fourteen of these cases. Such devices have normally grounded the patient to
eliminate serious 60 -Hz interference with the
tracings. From our talk about leakage currents last month, we know a grounded body
is a sitting duck for any current leaking out
of any other line- current -operated device he
touches, such as a bedside lamp, radio, TV,
electric bed, or another diagnostic or therapeutic piece of equipment.
"Many hospital deaths, however, do not
result from macroshock currents, applied to
the exterior of the body. Instead they
are caused by microshock currents that bypass the high -resistance skin layer and are
delivered directly to the interior via wires or
fluid -filled tubes inserted into one of the
body orifices or through cuts made in the
skin. Where such conductors enter the thorax
and approach the heart, extremely small ac
currents can cause death. Some medical authorities say currents as low as 20 microamperes can trigger fibrillation when applied
directly to the heart by means of a pacemaker lead or through a diagnostic catheter
inserted into the heart chambers. At this
level, even static electricity becomes a threat.
"This accumulated knowledge about what
happens to the body when it is exposed to
electrical shock is beginning to bear fruit. In
July of last year, the Underwriters' Laboratories finally brought out a realistic safety
standard for medical and dental equipment,
UL 544. We've already talked about established standards for leakage current in
household appliances. Equipment manufacturers, finally provided by the medical fraternity with hard information regarding how
much current is safe in a variety of situations, are designing and marketing equipment that should be harmless when properly
used, as they always said they would." O
-

All you need are #4 mounting screws. Just

plug -in 1/4 watt resistors, ceramic capacitors,
diodes, I.C.s, transistors and more and your
circuit is built! No special patch cords needed!
Interconnect with any solid #22-26 gauge wire.
Try it with absolutely no risk for 5 days. If not
satisfied, return your EL Socket and get a full
refund. Trying is believing. How can you go
wrong? Send Check or M.O. today!
Nickel /silver plated terminals -low contact
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Low insertion force
Mounts with #4 screws
Initial contact characteristics beyond 10M
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Vertical, horizontal interconnecting matrices
Handles wide range of wire, leads from .015 " -.032"
?Awe,

iii s

REFERENCES
"The Effects of Electric Shock on Man," C. F.
Dalziel, reprinted from IRE Transactions on Medical
Electronics, May 1956. For sale by Supt. of Documents,
U. S. Govt. Printing Office, Washington, DC. Price, 200.
"Lethal Electric Current," C. F. Dalziel and W. R.
Lee, IEEE Spectrum, February 1969.
"Standards for Safety Medical and Dental Equipment," Underwriters' Laboratories, 1285 Walt Whitman

Rd., Melville, NY

ASK FOR NEW

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11746.

"Controlling the Electrocution Hazard in the Hospital," Sidney R. Arbeit, et al, Journal of American
Medical Association, Vol. 220, No. 12, June 19, 1972.
"Intensive Heart Care," Bernard Lown, Scientific

American, Vol. 219, No. 1, July 1968.

"American National Standard for Leakage Current for
Appliances," #C101.1, American National Standards Institute, Inc., 1430 Broadway, New York, NY 10018.
MAY 1973

Add 50c for postage, handling

25% deposit on C.O.D.s

CIRCLE NO.

EL INSTRUMENTS, INC.
j61 First St., Derby, Conn. 06418
Telephone: 203 /735 -8774

16 ON

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89

Fastest Electronic Device

1962,

the English physicist Brian

INJosephson predicted that an insulator

could behave like a superconductor (complete disappearance of electrical resistance

at very low temperatures) , provided it was
thin enough and was sandwiched between
two layers of superconductive metals.
Now, in 1973, scientists at the IBM Research Division have used the Josephson
effect, combined with other experimental
findings, to indicate that current could
pass through an ultra -thin insulating barrier between superconductors in two different ways, to produce an electronic switch
that can operate in less than 10 trillionths
of a second (picoseconds) In performing
this switching action, the device requires
only about 1 /10,000 the power of the best
switching transistor.
This tiny power consumption means that
the junctions generate very little heat and
thus can be packed very closely together.
Since an electrical impulse travels about 1
mm in the time that a Josephson junction
.

Drs. Wilhelm Jutzi (left) and Theodor

Mohr, of IBM, check the new device.

90

switches, dense packing is essential to avoid

excessive delay as the signal travels from
one circuit to the next.
At low current levels and with no magnetic field present, the current passes (or
tunnels) through the insulator as if it were
a superconductor. There is no voltage drop
across the junction. If the current, or an applied magnetic field, is raised above a certain critical level, conduction through the
insulating barrier is by the familiar form of
electron tunneling similar to that found in
a tunnel diode. The two differences -the
presence or absence of a voltage drop
represents the 1 or 0 levels of digital com-

puter logic.
The first Josephson junction switcher was
reported in 1967 by Juri Matisoo of IBM,
who measured a switching speed of less than
800 picoseconds. The higher speed is a result of the decreased size (1.25 by 3.1 microns), higher current density, and the
sophisticated instrumentation developed for
measuring such short switching intervals.
Small bounded oval at center of this
photomicrograph is a Josephson junction, measuring 1.25 by 3 microns.
Broad white areas are 50 -ohm transmission lines connecting junction to
the external time- measuring circuitry.

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Test Equipment
cam-- Scene
J
By Leslie Solomon,
\V THAT digital logic, especially TTL,
come into wide use because its
price has come down (or is it the other way

NOhas

around ?), electronics hobbyists and technicians are starting to see more and more
of this type of circuit. All of which probably
accounts for the number of queries I have
had recently concerning servicing of digital
circuits and the types of test equipment
that should be used.
Some engineers say that semiconductor
devices do not have the mechanism to age
or wear out, so that, theoretically, they
should last forever, provided the applied
voltage and signal parameters are not exceeded. However, we all know -or at least
suspect -that gremlins exist and that their
main talent is refuting the laws of physics.
The chief gremlin is called `transient spike"
and he can be stopped by the use of suitable
suppressors judiciously connected to the
circuit. Anyway, digital IC's have been
known to fail, and the chances are that,
sooner or later, each of us will run into one
that does.
As with conventional transistors, there
are two ways to test digital IC's. One is with
the IC connected into the circuit; the other
is with the IC off the board as a discrete
unit. We will start with in- circuit tests.
Regardless of the type of digital circuit,
the main intent is to have either a high
(logic level 1) or low (logic level 0) output depending on the input signal conditions for the particular stage. In some cases,
particularly timing circuits, the output of
that stage is dependent on the values of
the passive components connected to the
IC. We must assume that these components
are good. (If it is felt that this assumption
is not valid, then the components should be
checked.) For other circuits, all that is
needed are the correct inputs to the IC and
some means of detecting and indicating the
1 or 0 output state.
MAY 1973

Technical Editor

There are several digital "state" indicators

on the market. Similar in appearance, they

usually look like slightly chubby test probes
and contain one or more lamps used as state

indicators. Most derive their operating power from the PC board being tested, and
the probe tip is used to check the state at
the selected pins. Some testers use a single
lamp to indicate a logic 1 (lamp on) and
logic O (lamp off). Others use two lamps,
one being on for logic 1 and the other for
logic O. Still other indicators have a third
lamp (called a "pulse catcher ") that glows
when a pulse of even a very short duration
is detected. The latter is used when a narrow
pulse does not have the duration to cause
the logic 1 lamp to glow. There are even
some state indicators that use an audio tone
to signal the presence of a changing state,
with one tone for logic 1 and another tone
for logic O. All of these probes are used to
detect the signal present at one pin at a
time.
Clip -On Testers. If you want to see the
states of all of the pins at once, consider
using a "clip -on" type of tester, which has
a multi- contact, spring-loaded clip that fits
over the IC package. The tester thus contacts all of the pins simultaneously and is
connected by a flexible cable to an indicator
chassis. The chassis usually has a 16 -pin
DIP outline with a pilot lamp at each pin

Testing

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Circuits
91

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IC pin, the associated pilot lamp turns on
and off. If you do any serious testing of
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instrument.
To see how handy a state indicator can
be, build the simple circuit shown in the
diagram. It is best not to have the probe
+V
LOW
CURRENT

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input cable more than two feet long. You

can use this state indicator for TTL, RTL,
DTL, or even some MHOS circuits. The
Darlington circuit and input resistor assure
a high input impedance (very low loading);
and the lamp will glow when the input
signal exceeds approximately 1.4 volts. Below this voltage, the lamp remains off. Both
the +5 volts and ground are obtained from
the circuit board under test. This circuit
can be built into a narrow insulated tube,
with the lamp at one end and a probe tip
(which could be the resistor lead) protruding from the other. All you need is the +5volt and ground leads coming out for the
external connections. The circuit will also
work with the 3.6 volts used for RTL.
If you also want to try a clock pulse
generator, use the second schematic. This
particular circuit uses a common type of
TTL integrated circuit, and all you have to
do is vary the value of the coupling capacitor to change the clock rate. The larger the
capacitance value, the slower the clock.
If you purchase a number of TTL IC's
from a surplus dealer (such as those advertised in this magazine), you may want
POPULAR ELECTRONICS

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going through
into the board.
discover, after
(especially on
a two-sided board), that the circuit doesn't
work.
to check each piece before
the trouble of soldering them
It's pretty discouraging to
installing a 14- or 16 -pin IC

Build or Purchase. You can build your

own digital IC tester using the circuits
shown here ( along with a power supply) or
you can buy one of the many "breadboard"
units currently available. The one we use
is made by MITS. This handy unit is extremely flexible and contains a variable
speed clock generator, a combination 14and 16 -pin IC socket with each pin having
its own LED readout, a built -in 5 -volt
high- current power supply, and a unique
method of switching each pin into the
necessary configuration. You can test a wide
variety of IC's with this tester. Using it is
just like using a tube tester. All you do is
look up the IC in the manual provided, set
up the switches accordingly, plug in the IC,

and watch the LED readouts.

Of course, the question always arises as
to when to assume that the components
and circuit design are OK and commit yourself to soldering the IC's to a PC board.
Before taking this last step, most of ;Is have
already built a "breadboard" (if that's what
you call that rat's nest of wires on the workbench). By the time we have arranged the
sockets, power supply, readouts, and the
required maze of interconnections, all it
takes is a brief interruption to cause us to
forget which lead went where and at what
point we were in the design. If you have
this type of problem, give some thought to
the use of a professional type of breadboard.
There are several on the market for both
RTL and TTL /DTL circuits. Since TTL is
getting to be more popular, we decided to
use the Digi -Designer made by EL Instruments, Inc. This instrument contains a
5 -volt power supply capable of handling a
number of IC's, a set of LED readouts, some
no- bounce switches, and a variable speed
clock generator.
Once the kit is built, it can be used without making solder connections. All that is
needed is some short lengths of #22 wire
to make the necessary interconnections.
The unique socket can hold a wide assortment of IC's, transistors, and accompanying
passive components. It even has provisions
for external inputs and outputs for any
pin.
p.
MAY 1973

If paging speakers
all seem about alike

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'til you get to
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and irclude the times you drop hardware, and
the e>tra trips to change level or positioning).
Good news! E -V has made paging speaker
installation easier and faster.
Non/ you need fewer tools and less time tc
get better sound. Speaker base emoves for easy
mouning, and it won't fall apart in your hands
in the process. There are no screw :erminals
to shot out, pigtails are already attached, no
transformer cover plates to unscrew, and final
speaker positioning is simple and positive.
All this and great sound in the bargain. Plus
competitive prices on every model. More than
a dozen from which to choose. Write today far
our catalog or see your nearby Electro -Voice
sound merchant.
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CIRCLE NO.

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93

i
So1Ld-Stai te

Scene
By Walter G. Jung
OUR Solid -State Scene this month focuses
on two key developments in the IC
world-new types of quad comparators and
op amps. Although these classes of devices
serve different functions, they are in a sense
related because both are members of the
linear IC family and they operate by differential comparison. Futher, they use some
similar circuitry and are designed for
building -block use in systems with single
power supplies. Chances are that, once you
become acquainted with these two new
devices and what they can do, you'll find
them useful additions to your bag of tricks.
New Quad Comparators. The op amp is
probably familiar to most of us, but the
comparator may be new to some. A comparator is simply a high-gain amplifier designed
to "compare" two inputs. Like the op amp,
a comparator has differential inputs, both
inverting ( ) and noninverting ( + ) with
respect to a single output. Beyond this,
however, the devices differ. A comparator
is not used with negative feedback, whereas
the op amp usually is. In a typical application for a comparator, a fixed (reference)
voltage is applied to one input and a varying
voltage (either ac or dc) to the other input.
The output will then change states as the
varying input voltage crosses the fixed reference level. The device answers the logic
question, "Is the input greater or less than
the reference ?" The relative states of the

IC
Comparators
and OpAmps
94

OE OUT

REFERENCE
VOLTAGE
(s-IV)

REFERENCE LEVEL( +I V)

EIN

AAA

o
AXIS

IPF
HIGH

OUT
LOW

Fig. 1. Basic action of a comparator.

inputs are then indicated by the output

either high or low.
In the example shown in Fig. 1, a fixed
1 -volt dc level is applied to the ( + ) input
while a sine wave is applied to the ( )
input. When E;,, is less than +1 V, the
output is high. As E. rises and passes +1 V,
the output switches states, going from high
to low. Typically, a comparator is capable
of a wide range of input levels (allowing
it to be used with a wide range of input
voltages) and its output is compatible with
one or more forms of logic.
Applications for comparators include level
detectors (such as Fig. 1), sine /square -wave
converters, phase detectors, oscillators, multi vibrators, and a host of other switching
circuits based on the level- detection principle.
Multiplying a useful basic idea by four,
Motorola and National Semiconductor have
recently introduced quad comparators in
single 14 -pin packages. Motorola's chip is
the MC3302P, while National has a series
composed of L \1139, LM239, and LM339
(the main difference among the three being

temperature range).
What is unique about these devices as
compared to previous ones? Well, they operate from single or dual power supplies
POPULAR ELECTRONICS

Including Electronics World

over a wide range. They also have a very

low power drain and their outputs can be
used with all forms of logic. A very unusual
feature is the pop input stage ( Fig. 2)
which allows the input to be biased at
ground level -even with a single power
supply and no additional bias. Outputs of
the comparators are open -collector npn
handy feature for connecting a
stages
number of devices in parallel for combined
logic functions,.
All devices mentioned are available in
14 -pin packages.

The great new

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Fig. 2. One section of

GND

quad comparator.

Quad Op Amps. We have mentioned a

family relationship between the new comparators and op amps. National's new
LM124, L \I224, L \1324, and LM2902 are
the op amp relatives. They also feature that
neat pnp input stage which allows such a
wide range of input voltages. These devices
are also designed for a single power supply
(or a dual supply) and have low bias current.
These chips are in many respects like the
popular 741, and for many applications,
may be used as such. For instance their
gain is about 100 dB; bandwidth is 1 MHz;
and the amplifiers are internally compensated. All of these factors simplify their use
considerably. Pin arrangement on these devices is different from the previously announced quad op amp (LM3900) and is
shown in Fig. 3. This is a symmetrical layout
with outputs at the four corners of the 14pin package. The power supply pins are
used as a screen between the two amplifier

sets.

It has been said that the op amp is the

most universal circuit component in existence. Now, universality acquires a new
MAY 1973

of ORION INDUSTRIES, INC.

12435 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44106

Export: 2200 Shames Dr.,
Westbury, L.I., New York 11590
Canada: A. C. Simmonds & Sons, Ltd.

CIRCLE NO.

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ABOUT YOUR
SUBSCRIPTION
Your subscription to POPULAR ELECTRONICS is
maintained on one of the world's most modern,
efficient computer systems, and if you're like 99%
of our subscribers, you'll never have any reason
to complain about your subscription service.
We have found that when complaints do arise,
the majority of them occur because people have
written their names or addresses differently at
different times. For example, if your subscription
were listed under "William Jones, Cedar Lane,
Middletown, Arizona," and you were to renew it
as "Bill Jones, Cedar Lane, Middletown, Arizona,"
our computer would think that two separate subscriptions were involved, and it would start sending you two copies Of POPULAR ELECTRONICS each
month. Other examples of combinations of names
that would confuse the computer would include:
John -lenry Smith and Henry Smith; and Mrs.
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addresses can also lead to difficulties. For example, to the computer, 100 Second St. is not the
same as 100 2nd St.
So, please, when you write us about your subscription, be sure to enclose the mailing label
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else copy your
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mailing label. This will greatly reduce any chance
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request much more quickly.

-or

95

o
2

o
3

o
6

o
5

o
9

AMP 3
10

o
o

13

14

AMP 4
12

Vcc:PIN 4
GND:PIN II

PACKAGE:I4PIN DUAL IN LINE

Fig. 3. Pin connections for op

amps.

dimension -four universal components. Single -unit prices for the commercial grade
comparators and op amps are: MC3302P,
$1.20; LM339N, $5.70; LM324N, $3.75.
Programmable Comparator. RCA has just

introduced an interesting new IC: the

CA3099E programmable comparator with
memory. This chip is a combination of
high- and low- voltage level sensors, a flip flop (for memory) , a driver, and a 150 -mA
output stage. It is capable of performing a
variety of functions and has built -in voltage
and current regulation. The device can be
externally programmed for adjustment of
performance and is designed as a control
element for high- current loads such as
thyristors, relays, lamps, etc. Applications
include heater controllers, photosensitive
relays, motor controllers, level detectors,
time delays and one shots, and over- voltage,
over- current and /or over -temperature protection. The device comes in a 14 -pin dual
in -line package.
Optic Couplers With 4N Classification.
Have you ever been confused by the proliferation of numbers for LED (light -emitting diode) phototransistor electro -optic
couplers? Motorola has recently taken a big
step toward standardization of these devices
by registration of former device numbers
MOC1000, MOC1001, MOC1002, and
MOC1003. The newly numbered devices
are the 4N25, 4N26, 4N27, and 4N28. Isolation voltage ratings range from 500 V
96

(min) with the 4N28 to 2.5 kV (min) with

the 4N25. Types 4N25 and 4N26 feature
a 5 -mA output current while the 4N27 and
4N28 achieve 3 mA, both ratings with a
10 -mA input. All units are in 6 -lead dual
in -line packages with prices beginning at
$1.50 for the 4N2S.
Power Transistors. Quite a number of
new power transistors have been recently
introduced by Texas Instruments. The devices cover a variety of packages and voltage ratings, both single transistor and power
Darlington, in high voltage and complementary form.
The TIP620, TIP621, and TIP622 are
npn power Darlingtons with voltage ratings
of 60, 80, and 100 V respectively. The pup
complements are TIP625, TIP626, and
TIP627. All units can dissipate 100 watts,
have a gain of 1000 at 3 A, and come in
TO -3 metal packages.
For higher voltage applications, there
are the plastic- packaged TIP55 through
TIP58 (250, 300, 350, and 400 V) , while
the TIP554, TIP555, and TIP556 come in
TO -3 metal packages with ratings of 200,
300, and 400 V. All units have a 125 -watt
dissipation rating. The plastic devices can
handle 7.5 A, maximum, while the metal
versions are rated at 5 A.
Nine high -voltage Darlington devices
have also been introduced. The TIP150,
151, and 152 are in TO -66 plastic packages,
rated at 2 A and 200, 300, and 400 V, respectively. The TIP160 -162 corne in TO -3
plastic packages, while the TIP660 -662
come in TO -3 metal packages. Current ratings for these two sets are 5 A at 200, 300,
and 400 V. The TIP150 -152 have gains of
500 at 1.5 A, while the remaining units
have the same gain at 3 A. Power ratings
for the three different packages are 50, 125,
and 150 watts.

Further Information. For further information on any of the devices mentioned above,
write to their manufacturers at the following addresses:
Motorola Semiconductor Products
P.O. Box 20912
Phoenix, AZ 85036
National Semiconductor
2900 Semiconductor Dr.
Santa Clara, CA 95051
RCA Solid State Division
Box 3200
Somerville, NJ 08876
POPULAR ELECTRONICS Including Electronics World

CB Scene

By Matt P. Spinello
AFTER five thousand miles of jet travel
and seven consecutive days of additional wanderings, and after monitoring more
than 1000 Citizens Radio calls and gathering statistics through CB, telephone, and
in- person conversations in the field, the CB
Scene is born!
Our CB Monitour (monitoring tour) was
recently launched in 7 cities; and it will
continue in the future with periodic visits
to many areas heavily populated with CB
users. We will be attending club gatherings
throughout the U.S., recording CB'ers views
on topics such as the present status of the
service, its problems, probable solutions,
and its future. The CB Scene will highlight
various CB activities, including organizational make -up, public service, and emergency
volunteer work during trying tines such as
floods, hurricanes, etc.
The majority of Citizens Radio's 878,000
licensees (utilizing approximately 4,000,000
CB transceivers) are enthusiastically involved, organized in great numbers, and
concerned. Among other things, they want
to know:
"What will it be -class D, class E, or
both ?"
"What about the proposed CB license fee
increase ?"
"What are the objective differences between the REACT and ALERT programs ?"
"What constitutes a good CB club; and
how do we organize one and keep it going?"
"Why does the majority of single-sideband activity seem to be locked in on channel 16 ?"

"Who's doing what to help CB beginners on the selection, installation, and operation of their CB systems ?"
And, interestingly enough, a question that
was raised at four different locations was,
"When will manufacturers realize that there
is a need and a definite market for a cornMAY 1973

pact, pocket -size walkie- talkie (like the old

Morrow VP -100) that could be carried,
concealed, inside a coat pocket or at the
waist (a la Secret Service and local police) ?"
Presumably, the unit would have top controls and earphones without yards of antenna protruding over the shoulder, so that
emergency personnel could monitor channel
work or at play, or even
9 at all times
at the country club dance.
These and several other subjects were
discussed and debated, with the answers
usually left in doubt, during our 7 -city
monitoring tour. The Citizens Radio Service's continual growth and unlimited applications make valid the users' "need to
know," and that's what the CB Scene is all

-at

about!
This is your column! We look to CB clubs,
teams and individuals to keep us posted on
activity in their area and to supply us with
emergency activity reports (with photos
when available) . Especially, we look forward to meeting with CB'ers in various
parts of the country throughout the year.
In the months to come, the CB Scene will
delve into rule changes, services and activity,
new products, single -sideband, and the
problems and questions presented to us by
our readers.

Monitour Report. CB Scene conducted its

Start of the
Monitour
97

first POPULAR ELECTRONICS MOIlIt011r armed

with a Johnson Messenger III and rechargeable battery pack. This and future reports
gathered by actual on- the -air transmission
monitoring and by discussions with area
CB'ers is not meant to confirm the pattern
by which 11 -meter users conduct their transmissions on a 24-hour or year-round basis.
It suggests, however, that a general idea of
operating conditions can be determined
from monitoring a minimum of 50 calls.
Washington, D.C. Heavy activity on most
channels; orderly handling of emergency
traffic involving minor accidents. Thanks to
active cooperation of public service teams
like REACT and ALERT, channel 9 remains relatively silent except for emergency
traffic. An occasional "bandit" will make an
attempt to lure "anybody" to answer; but
he is quickly reminded by a monitor that
the channel is reserved for emergency
traffic. Rules violators are not absent from
the FCC's back yard, but infractions are
mild in comparison to other areas visited.
Biggest D.C. area offender appears to be
an operator labeled "Mad Dog." While
frequently on the air breaking the squelch
on every rig within range with deafening
audio feedback and distortion, he never
seems to raise anyone. Hopefully, the FCC
will soon help him make contact.
New York, N.Y. By proclamation of a
New York CB'er: "If you haven't monitored
New York City, you ain't heard nothin' yet!"
We monitored several base /mobile exchanges termed "necessary communications." In addition there was chit -chat mixed
with skip_ transmitters being tuned; an unannounced vocalist; and a matched set of
he /she intellectuals (so they said) who
took a stab at solving the problems of the
world, including sex education in the
schools, the after -effects of accupuncture,
An outstanding offer

The XR205 monolithic

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and transcendental meditation. Channel 9,

however, was professionally held together
by David Getoff, KCK6194, serving as
city-wide REACT monitor KDU0552. Dave
handled traffic as quickly and efficiently
as a veteran taxi dispatcher on New Year's
Eve.
Detroit, Mich. Activity on channels 4,
7, 9, 11, 15, and 17. There were a considerable number of transmissions where
callsigns were employed although the
legality of the transmissions was questionable. A woman seemed to be in command of
channel 9, issuing instructions, directions,
and verbal hand- slappings for infringements; but she failed to use a callsign in her
attempts to serve the area.
Kalamazoo, Mich. If monitoring is any
judge, Kalamazoo has two distinctly different CB camps: one has charged itself with
by- the -book communications and volunteer
public service; while the other is out to
capture the "tarnished- trophy-of- the -year
award" for flagrant misuse of Citizens
Radio channels.
During a landline conversation with Dr.
James McCord, KFL7601, we learned that
Community Radio Watch, founded in November of 1971 serves the Portage /Kalamazoo area. With a membership of 80, CRW
monitors channel 9 on a voluntary basis
from 6:00 a.m. to 12 midnight.
During a monitoring period which began
at 11:00 p.m., CB Scene discovered Kalamazoo's other group, which continued nonstop for 90 minutes on channel 20. The
clan consisted of "The Thousand Watt
Mouth," "Polecat," "King Cole," "Jay- Jay,"
"Biz-E- Bee," The Bald- Headed Beagle,"
"Banana Picker," "Big Red," "Gutter Ball,"
and "Red Fox." They apparently never
heard of "Fox Charlie Charlie." With any
luck, they may, soon! The exchange during

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the 90- minute "special" consisted mainly of

"put -ons" attempting to out -do one another
with corney one-liners.
Minneapolis, Minn. Legal activity on the
air outshone the shenanigans in Michigan
and New York. Excluding "Moonshiner" and
"Spaghetti" who had a skip contact, Minneapolis's record for the monitoring period
could be considered more legal than not.
Channel chit -chat was not lengthy, was
mild in content, and was at least conducted
with licensed callsigns. Channel 9 was held
in silent reserve for emergency use.
Kansas City, Mo. At Kansas City's new
International Airport all CB monitoring
frequencies were blocked by a solid, steady
hum. Time did not allow investigation of
the source -which kept our rig inoperable
in the area. Monitoring from downtown
Kansas City, we found that activity on the
air paralleled that in Minnesota. Channels
7, 11, 15, 21, and 23 handled fairly routine
and acceptable traffic, while channels 4,
17, 19, and 20 amplified chit -chat, attempts
at skip contacts, and a discussion of the
TV news that had just been aired.
Springfield, Va. Fairco REACT rides
herd on channel 9. Its monitors are quick to
ask would -be gabbers to leave the channel
-even quicker to be of assistance to motorists in need. Fairco's membership of 75 is
led by William Woodbury, president; Chuck
Brown, vp; Bob Holzman, sec.; and George
Rezac, treas. Fairco REACT encompasses
the Fairfax County communities of Alexandria, Annandale, Arlington and Springfield. Code names in the area are few; chitchat is confined generally to the uppermost
portion of the band.

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In the final analysis of Monitour's first
on -site statistics gathering, CB Scene places
the Minneapolis and Springfield, Va., areas
in a tie for the cleanest, most legal operating areas of the seven monitored. Our next
report will come from the states of Illinois,_

Wisconsin, and Colorado.

Monitour is finalizing plans for a monthlong, cross -country motorhome tour of the
U.S. in the month of July. Teams and clubs
interested in meeting us along the way are
urged to drop a note to the column, indicating a contact name, callsign, address,
phone number, and club meeting day. Rush
this information to Matt P. Spinello, CB
Scene, Popular Electronics, One Park Ave.,
New York, NY 10016.
I11 CB'ing you.
MAY 1973

99

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CIRCLE NO

43

ON READER SERVICE CARD

Understanding Your Triggered Sweep Scope

A BRIEF EXPLANATION

OF THOSE

PUZZLING TRIGGER CONTROLS

BY VIRGIL A. THOMASON

signal, the first step is to estimate the input

signal level and set the vertical amplifier athind a triggered sweep scope. Others, how- tenuator controls accordingly. Although a
ever, still seem to be troubled by the special scope, unlike a VOM, cannot normally be
triggering controls used in this type of scope. damaged by excessive off-scale operation, it
Let's see if we can't clarify the uses of these is good practice to make this signal level
estivate-keeping in mind that the ac sigsometimes baffling controls.
First, just what is a "trigger "? Remember nal may have a dc component. If the latter
that there are two different types of scope is the case, set the vertical amplifier input
sweeps: recurrent and triggered. The recur- selector to Ac to begin with. If the scope is
rent sweep is always present on the CRT left in the nc mode, the desired ac signal
face and can be synchronized by a front - may be riding on enough dc to cause the
panel control appropriately marked. A trig- display to be so far off scale that it can't be
gered sweep is not recurring and usually is seen. If you know that only an ac signal
invisible until a trigger pulse comes along to will be present, then you can use the nc
start the sweep. In normal operation (be- mode of the vertical input selector.
The first trigger control encountered is
fore triggering), the invisible spot is at the
left side of the CRT. The incoming trigger the SOURCE selector. If you want to trigger
not only starts the trace, but also triggers an the sweep at some point on the displayed
internal circuit that "unblanks" the beam waveform, use the INT (internal) position.
for the duration of that sweep. Once the This automatically icks up the signal from
sweep has been initiated, a special "lock- the vertical amplifier. The EXT (external )
out" circuit keeps any other trigger from position allows the use of a trigger signal
affecting the sweep until that particular from outside the scope. If the displayed sigsweep is completed and the beam has re- nal is related to the commercial power line
turned to the left side of the CRT and is frequency, then the LINE position will pick
ready to accept another trigger. Therefore, up a trigger signal from the power supply
any signal applied to the trigger circuit (usu- within the scope.
The next control is the trigger COUPLING
ally from the vertical amplifier) will have no
If you want to trigger at a particuwhat
selector.
is
This
time.
sweep
the
during
effect
contributes so much to triggered sweep sta- lar do level on the applied signal, use the
nc position. To trigger from an ac signal use
bility.
The controls for a typical scope trigger- either ac position. If your scope has two AC
ing section are shown in Fig. 1. Your par- positions, the one marked Ac FAST uses a netticular scope may have different names for work that passes only the higher frequencies
these controls, but the principles are the and is usually used to block any 60 -Hz
component that might be present on the
same. Follow the signal flow shown in Fig. 2.
When the scope is to be used to view a triggering signal.

technicians and electronics enthu-

MOST
siasts are familiar with the theory be-

TRIGGERING

TRIGGER

LEVEL

TRIGGERING

MODE

4
EXTERNAL
TRIGGER

FREE-RUN

Fig. 1 Basc trigger controls for

typical scope. Particular markings
may differ from one scope to another but the principle is the same.

NORMAL
AUTO

INT.

COUPLING
DC

EXT

AC

LINE

AC FAST

SOURCE

SLOPE

POS

NEG

INPUT

100

POPULAR ELECTRONICS Including Electronics

World

The SLOPE switch is used to pick a triggering point on either the positive or negative portion of the triggering waveform. The
TRIGGERING LEVEL control is used to pick
the actual point on either the positive - or
negative -going portions at which you want
the trigger to occur.
The TRIGGERING MODE switch usually has
three positions. In FREE RUN, the sweep
oscillator is made free -running, thus starting
another sweep directly after the first is completed. This is similar to a conventional recurrent sweep scope. If your triggered
sweep scope does not have this position,
then the AUTO position may provide this feature, usually at some low frequency (in
many cases, about 50 Hz). The selected
trigger signal will override the 50 Hz to
synchronize the sweep properly. In other
words, the AUTO mode is the same as ac
coupling, your choice of slope, and the exact
center of the triggering level- provided the
applied trigger is faster than 50 Hz. The
NORMAL mode is used with the triggered
sweep.
As a further aid to understanding these
controls, try this little experiment. Use a filament transformer as the vertical input source
to the scope. As a triggering source, you can

TRIGGERING
MODE

FREE

NORMAL

RUN

AUTO

FROM

VERTICAL
CIRCUITS
COUPLING
SLOPE

DC

INTI
SOURCE

O
EXT

IN LINE

(JAC

FAST

AC FROM

TRIGGERING
CIRCUITS

TRIGGERING

LEVEL

SCOPE
PWR

Fig. 2 This diagram shows the usual

signal

flow through triggered scope.

use either the LINE position of the SOURCE

switch or you can feed the secondary of the
transformer to the horizontal input also and
use the external input as the trigger source.
Use AC coupling and place the SLOPE switch
on the positive position. The level potentiometer can now be adjusted to start the
sweep on any portion of the positive -going
sine wave being displayed. Changing the
SLOPE switch to the negative position will
now enable you to pick almost any point on
the negative half cycle as the starting
point.

The Electronic Ignition

that turns on Tom McCahill

4.

When Tom McCahill tested Gaylord's CompuSparl 'Capacitive Discharge Ignition, he said it flat out; "For my money, CompuSpark's a steal. Under 50 bucks. No
moving parts. Fully electronic. Solid -state. And CD, too! "It's built like a brick outhouse. They tried to wear one out and stopped at 270,000 miles when the car

fell apart.
"What's in it for you? It virtually does away with point wear. Ends plug fouling
hassles and puts plug wear way down the road. Often cuts your gas consumption by
20% and makes your engine run clean.
"The reasons for all this are as obvious as warts on a snake. A 60,000 volt
spark is a helluva lot hotter than a stock ignition. CompuSpark
'The Ignition System with a Brain'T`" actually computes spark characteristics to engine RPM. You get
the right spark at the right time and the right place. Darned things run great in
Alaska or the tropics. Why not? Allsilicon, y' know. And the
anti -theft lock really works!
CompuSpark ready to install. $49.95
Rush me:
"Another thing: CompuSpark is guaranteed one month
Kit $39.95
longer than a Rolls- Royce: 37 months free repair or replaceCompuSpark brochure, free.
ment. 30 day money back guarantee, too!
"Think of it this way: One skipped
Car Year & Make
tune -up and CompuSpark has paid for
itself. Two and you're money ahead.
Name
Plenty more where that came from
Address
you're in clover, right? You bet.
"Order your CompuSpark now. It
City, State Zip
turned me on. I'm sure it'll turn you
Enclosed:
$
Ship ppd.
Ship C 0 D
on, too!"

Charge to my:
Master Charge

1973 CD Systems Division

Gaylord Electronics Inc. Dept.24MY.
2314 Fourth St. Berkeley, Calif. 94710
415/849 -0300
MAY 1973

Installs in 15 minutes.
CIRCLE NO.

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101

BSR

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BSR is

New Products,,
MITS DIGITAL IC TESTER

The MITS, Inc., Model ITC 1800 tester gives

laboratories, service shops, and others the
capability of testing IC's as quickly as they do
tubes and discrete transistors. The professional quality instrument contains a two -speed clock;
12 binding posts that allow connection with external equipment such as an oscilloscope, an
oscillator, or an additional power source; 18
LED indicators that show the status of the IC

sequential cam drive mechanism, an advanced

system that incorporates eight independent
pre-programmed cams mounted on a central
shaft that replaces the rotating eccentric plates
and lightweight gears that other changers use.
The tone arm is a low -mass tubular aluminum
unit suspended in a ball-bearing race and balanced by a resiliently mounted counterweight.
Circle No.

on Reader Service

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Card

ANTENNACRAFT EXTREMEFRINOE ANTENNA

Sharp, true color plus clear black and white

TV reception are provided by Antennacraft's
Model CDX 1150 extreme- fringe antenna. Featuring 60 active elements, the antenna is said
to be engineered to outperform all other antennas and provide the best possible reception
in any TV /FM signal area. The CDX 1150 is
designed with a patented flip -eze boom extension and cradle mount. The extension makes the
15h -ft boom easy to handle. For quick installation, the boom is folded and secured with one
bolt. The cradle mount adds extra strength
and stability and provides a low profile for

under test; and a pushbutton switch that permits counters, dividers, and shift registers to
be advanced one step at a time. The most important feature is a 10 x 20 matrix switch used
to program the functions and logic levels for
the device under the test. It allows patch -in
of any internal or external function to any
pin or combination of pins. The tester is available in both wired and kit forms.
Circle No. 70 on Reader Service Card

SEE A aeG5`EG
M -r:

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cm

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high wind resistance. Other features include a

new uhf high -Q design and extra -heavy all weather insulators.
Circle No. 72 on Reader Service Card
EDMUND SCIENTIFIC BIO- FEEDBACK MONITOR

1913 LAFAYETTE

The Edmund Scientific Co. Bio- Feedback Monitor /Trainer combines brain -wave, heart -rate,
and skin -resistance feedback in a compact 2pound unit. The head electrodes, hooked up to
a high -gain amplifier, allow brain waves to be
filtered to signal a beep for each alpha or theta
wave passed. Wrist and finger electrodes monitor
heartbeat and skin resistance responses, reproduced as an audible tone. The instrument
comes with head, wrist, and finger electrodes,
a threshold adjust, conducting solution, and
full instructions,
Circle No. 73

on

CATALOG

It"4i

Your Complete Electronics Buying Guide

Stereo /Hi -Fi Components
CB Transceivers &
Walkie- talkies
PA Systems
Tools & Test Equipment
Police /Fire Monitor Receivers
Antennas
Photography Equipment
Ham Gear
Books, Parts, and More!

Reader Service Card

Lafayette Radio Electronics

P.O. Box 10, Dept.35053
Syosset, L.I., N.Y. 11791

LAFAYETTE 4- CHANNEL HEADPHONES

The Lafayette Radio Electronics Model F4400 4- channel stereo headphones feature a
unique patented "baffle plate" that increases
acoustic front -to -rear separation. The phones

730

35053

NAME

ADDRESS
I

CITY
STATE

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CIRCLE NO.

21

ON READER SERVICE CARD

_J

Amazing!

consist of four separate 2"s -in. speakers, each

in its own acoustically isolated air -tight sealed

chamber. Special switchable circuitry is built

in for deriving 4- channel sound from conventional 2- channel stereo program sources through
the ambience- recovery method. Each ear
cushion is foam filled, as is the adjustable headband; both are covered with vinyl leatherette. The phones are supplied with a '10 -ft cable
terminated in two phone plugs.
Circle No. 74 on Reader Service Card
EMPIRE INDOOR /OUTDOOR SPEAKER SYSTEM

The first thing one notices when introduced to

the new Empire Scientific Corp. Model 6500
Jupiter Series Speaker is a futuristic appearance.
This three -way down- facing woofer wide -angle
lens pedestal speaker system is made for today's
indoor /outdoor way of life. With an enclosure
made of a new indestructible space -age acoustic
material and fully weatherproofed drivers, the
Jupiter is tailor made for porch, patio, and poolMAY 1973

THE
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This precision timepiece with no moving
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The quartz crystal oscillates 32,768 times
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103

side listening. When summer conies to a close,

the speaker can be moved inside the home
where its up -to- the-minute furniture design
complements any room setting.
Circle No.

75 on

Reader Service Card

COBRA AM /SSB CB TRANSCEIVER

Dynascan has introduced the Model 132 AM I

SSB two -way mobile radio to their Cobra line
of CB communication products. The 132 develops 15 watts of peak envelope power. It has
69- channel operation (23 AM, 46 SSB); 100
percent modulation with Cobra's exclusive
Dyna -Boost compression circuit; better than
60 -dB cross -modulation interference rejection;
r -f gated noise blanker; three filters to prevent
adjacent- channel interference; and drift -free
ultra- stable Voice Lock. The transmitter featur
SSB carrier suppression and unwanted
sideband suppression, 350 -2500 Hz frequency
response, and an adjustable automatic load control. Receiver sensitivity on SSB is less than
0.25 V and on AM 0.5 V for 10 dB (S+N '
N at greater than 1 watt of audio.
Circle No.

76 on Reader

surveillance. To install it, the homeowner simply plugs The Informer into a convenient ac
outlet; then he plugs the alarm and /or lamp
into the receptacles provided in the rear of the
unit The Informer has adjustable sensitivity,
automatic and manual reset, and a built -in 30second delay circuit that allows the owner to
enter a room and deactivate the alarm before
it goes off.
Circle No.

77 on Reader Service Card

JVC 280 -WATT 4- CHANNEL AMPLIFIER

JVC America, Inc., is currently selling their

Model 4VN -990 patented SEA -Sound Effect
Amplifier that permits complete freedom and
control over sound in all five important fre-

Service Card

HEATHKIT ULTRASONIC INTRUSION DETECTOR

Between the bogus book covers of "The Informer" is the Heathkit Model GD -39, a sophisticated solid -state ultrasonic sensor that can
trigger an alarm or turn on a light, or do both,
should it detect movement in an area under

quhncy ranges. The amplifier provides 70 watts/

channel in 4-channel use and 152 watts /channel
when operated in the 2- channel mode. This
high output power is possible due to a special
power bridging circuit that enables the component to deliver a higher output when used

'0

',0.-_

For the man who knows CB, Courier has created Gladiator and CenSSB. Two rugged rigs with the sophistication of sideband
and the durability of Courier. Full 15 watts p.e.p., 5 watts RMS,
23 AM, 23 USB and 23 LSB channels, ceramic filter on AM, crystal
lattice filter on SSB and dual IF systems. Clarifier adjustment of
receive and transmit frequencies over a 600 Hz range for perfect
"netting " "ON THE AIR" pulsates red while unit is modulating.
Separate green receive indicator, switchable noise blanker, noise

turion

limiter and plug-in mike. Complete with mike, crystals for all
channels. Centurion also features digital clock and turn -on alarm.

SINON /COURIER CORP.

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Subs. Resdel Industries

CIRCLE MO.
104

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( conventional 4- channel
amps do not use the rear channels when operating in the stereo mode). Built into the amplifier
is a 4- channel matrix system that derives four
channels of sound from any 2-channel signal
source. It also allows perfect decoding of matrixencoded records and broadcasts.
Circle No. 78 on Reader Service Card

as a 2- channel system

Midwest
WHOLESALE
& MAIL ORDER
DIVISION

TDK PROFESSIONAL-QUALITY TAPE REELS

TDK Electronics Corp. is currently offering

a deluxe metal reel and library -shelf storage
case for open -reel tape in a combination package designated the Model LR -7M. The professional- quality 7 -in. reel with standard slotted hub is made of aluminum. Its precision
warp -proof construction assures accurate alignment and perfect wrap-up of tape during recording, playback, rewind, and fast -forward
operation. The storage case, made of polystyrene plastic, has a hinged cover with a selflocking latch.
Circle No.

MO

Protect

your wallet.

Don't pay retail prices. Choose

from over 100 name brands,

79 on Reader Service Card

and save on freight charges

by ordering from the location
nearest you.

CARTRIDGE PLAYER /RECEIVERS

Two new 8 -track cartridge player /receivers,

designated the Models 680 and 682, have been
announced by Toyo Radio Co. of America, Inc.

Write today for our free catalog!

Midwest Hifi Wholesale & Mail Order Div.,
2455b Wisconsin Ave.,
Downers Grove, Ill. 60515 (Attn Peter Eckart)
3309 E. J W Carpenter Frwy.,
Irving, Tex. 75060 (Attn Paul Eisner)

CIRCLE NO.

MM

25

ON READER SERVICE CARD

1.0

..

The Model 680 is said to be the first luxury

component stereo system designed to provide
the convenience of 8 -track cartridges. It has
automatic and pushbutton program selection,
digital program lights, jacks for headphones,
and external speakers. The AM /stereo FM receiver, with stereo beacon and afc, delivers 35
watts of music power into the two supplied
speakers. The Model 682 is the saute as the
Model 680 except that it also contains a built in four -speed automatic record changer.
Circle No. 80 on Reader Service Card
ARCHERKIT WIRELESS INTERCOM

The Archerkit Wireless Intercom available from

Allied Radio and Radio Shack outlets need
only be plugged into standard ac outlets in the
same house or separate buildings that share
the same power line transformer to provide
instant communications. The units can he wall
mounted or moved around as needed. They feature thunlhwheel volume controls, pilot lights,
"talk" buttons, and a lock button for hands -free
conversation or monitoring.
Circle No.
MAY

1973

81

on Reader Service Card

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IIi1117

NEW low cost digital

multimEtEr

$299

26 ranges to measure ac /dc voltages from 100 microvolts

to 1200 V, ac /dc currents from 100 nanoamperes to 2 amperes and resistance from 100 milliohms to 20 megohms.
Guaranteed to stay within specifications for one full year.
Fluke gives you the best specs and strongest warranty on the
market today for the lowest cost of ownership ever.
Wide

choice of options including rechargeable battery pack, digital printer output, deluxe test leads, high -voltage probe, RF
probe, 200 -amp ac current probe, carrying case, dust cover
and rack mounts.
Unique self -zero feature eliminates offset errors.
Rugged high- impact case with securely mounted
internal electronics.
Service centers throughout U.S., Canada, Europe and Far East for 48 -hour turnaround repairs.

FLUKE

P.O. Box 7428,

Seattle, Washington 98133.

Get all the details from your nearest Fluke sales office. Dial
toll -free 800. 426 -0361 for address of office nearest you.
CIRCLE NO. 18 ON READER SERVICE CARD
105

ADVANCED ELECTRONICS CAREER TRAINING AT HOME

If you're looking for a career

instead of a job in electronics...

It costs millions of dollars to build modern ocean going vessels. The
final design of such ships is based on extensive testing with sophisticated electronic measuring equipment using exact models as shown in the
photo of the Naval Research and Development Center. The engineering technicians who check out, maintain and repair such equipment have to be
experts. Their work is not only interesting and exciting, they also enjoy
top pay in their field.
CREI offers Electronic Engineering Technology programs through

home study. You have a choice of eighteen different program arrangements so you can specialize in exactly the area of electronics you want.
All of the programs, except a brief introductory course, are collegelevel.

want :o qualify for the highest paying level of technical employment in electronics, we invite you to consider the unique home study
programs of CREI. Here is a list of just some of the CREI programs:
If you

Communications Engineering Computer Engineering Missile &

Spacecraft Guidance Radar & Sonar Television Engineering Nuclear Instrumentation & Control Digital Communications Industrial
Electronics Electronic Systems Engineering Microwave Communications Satellite Communications Cable Television Engineering
For over 45 years, CREI programs have been recognized by leading
technical organizations as effective home study training in advanced
electronics.
Qualifications to Enroll. To qualify for enrollment in a CREI program,
you must be a high school graduate (or equivalent). You should also
be working in electronics or have previous training in this field.

Send for FREE book. If you are qualified, send for CREI's newly published book describing your career opportunities in advanced electronics. This full color book is filled with facts about career opportunities for you.

Capitol Radio Engineering Institute

A Division of McGraw -Hill Continuing Education Co.
3939 Wisconsin Avenue, Washington, D. C. 20016

Accredited Member, National Home Study Council

CREI, Dept. E1205D
3939 Wisconsin Avenue
Washington, D. C. 20016

Rush me your FREE book describing my opportunities in advanced electronics. I am a high school
graduate.
Age

Name

Address
City
It you have previous training

State

ZIP

in electronics, check here

El

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Employed by
Type of Present Work
Veterans and servicemen, check here for G. f. Bill information

CAPITOL
RADIO
ENGINEERING
INSTITUTE

ELECTRONICS IN

HABILITATION AND REHABILITATION

PE PROJECTS ARE HELPING IN THE TREATMENT OF

HANDICAPPED CHILDREN
ACOLOR organ usually finds its place
in hi -fi music systems to provide a visual
display in colored lights of the amplitude,
pitch, and tempo of the music being played.
But at the Mansfield Training School, a
state institution for the mentally retarded
located at Mansfield Depot in Connecticut,
the Musette color organ ( POPULAR ELECTRONICS, July 1966) is being used in a way
that the designer probably never imagined.
With the aid of a microphone and amplifier,

Modification of an early PE project

demonstrated by a speech therapist.
Bulb lights when the child speaks.

the Musette has elicited speech from at

least one retarded child. It has also supplied
the necessary feedback to a deaf child, helping him to form better articulation in his
speech.
It is a well -known medical fact that very
few children with hearing impairments are
actually totally deaf. These children commonly have very good hearing at frequencies
between about 400 Hz and the lower end of
the human speech range. For such children,
a color organ can be used as a speech training device. By dividing the speech range
into various channels and using a microphone- amplifier input, certain vowels and
consonants will have distinct color patterns.
In enunciating, the child attempts to match
the color patterns of normal speech. The
color organ is also quite beneficial in teaching accent and pitch control.
Hearing- impaired children also benefit
greatly from auditory training. The beginno

BY AL YONOVITZ

ning of this training involves the child's being able to discriminate gross sounds. For
this purpose, the theremin, an electronic
musical instrment, is an ideal teaching
tool. By moving his hands toward and away
from the pitch and volume antennas of the
theremin, the child suddenly hears something more or less meaningful and he smiles.
The auditory stimulation and happiness derived from this experience can help make
mare usable and meaningful what residual
hearing the child has.
Another use for the theremin is an attempt to eliminate the rocking motion some
retardees continuously make. Here, the
small antenna plates would be replaced by
large metal screens toward and away from
which the retardee can rock, changing pitch
and volume.
The goal of the Training Resource Center
is to bridge the gap between electronics
technology and special training in education.
Toward this end, retardees are taught certain skills that they can put to use in
sheltered workshops. The devices mentioned above, plus others, are being made
by retardees for use at schools and other
institutions. These devices are distributed
at very fair cost on a non -profit basis. For
more information, interested readers can
write to the author at: Training Resource
Center, Longley School, \Lmsfield Depot,
CT 06251.
O
Color organ is being used with speech
and hearing impaired children. Various colored displays are employed.

FREE

McIntosh

McIntosh Laboratory, Inc

East Side Station P.O. Box 96
Binghamton, N.Y. 13904

Get all the news and latest information on the new

McIntosh Solid State equipment in the McIntosh
catalog. In addition you will receive an FM station
directory that covers all of North America.

SEND

TODAY!

Dept. 16 -5.
I

CATALOG and FM DIRECTORY

NAME

STATE

f ii .
a

+ l_

,411

ADDRESS
CITY

MX 113

ZIP

AM FM /FM STEREO TUNER PREAMPLIFIER

ON READER SERVICE CARD
I

CIRCLE NO.

22

RADIO HANDBOOK

Electronics Librar}
A COURSE IN RADIO FUNDAMENTALS,

Fifth Edition

by William I. Orr
This is a revised and updated 19th Edition designed to keep ham radio operators abreast of
latest developments and equipment in the communications field. Detailed instructions for designing, building, and operating all types of
radio communications equipment are provided.
Theory and construction of modern circuitry,
semiconductors, antennas, and power supplies
are covered.

Published by Howard W. Sains & Co., Inc.,

4300 W. 62nd St., Indianapolis, Ind. 46268.
Hard cocer. 946 pages. $14.95.

by George Grammer

This new edition of a popular book has undergone considerable revision, including modernizing the text and the introduction of much new
material to increase its scope, almost doubling
the number of pages over previous editions.
Unlike the preceding editions that used The
Radio Amateur's Handbook as a text, the new
edition is a complete and independent study
manual. Paced at an intermediate level, the
text treatment is quantitative to the extent
permitted by restricting mathematics to simple
algebra.
Published by The American Radio Relay
League, Inc., Newington, CT 06111. Soft cocer.
184 pages. $2.00.

p'#_'raeP
Let us know 6 to 8 weeks in advance so that you
a single ssue of POPULAR ELECTRONICS

won't miss

INCLUDING ELECTRONICS WORLD

Attach old label where indicated and print new

address in space provided. Also include your mailing
label whenever you write concerning your subscription. It helps us serve you promptly.
Write to: P.O. Box 2774, Boulder, Colo., 80302, giving
the following information.
Change address only.
Extend subscription.
Enter new subscription.
(1)
3 yrs. $15 (3)
1 year $6
5 yrs. $21 (2)
Payment enclosed (1 extra issue per yr. as a BONUS)
Bill me later.
MAY 1973

BASIC ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS SIMPLIFIED

by Nelson W. Hibbs

This is an easily digested book with a conversational approach to electronics theory.

Pertinent facts are interwoven with technical

discussions so that theoretical expressions can
be followed with only a rudimentary knowledge of electronics and a limited background
in mathematics on the part of the reader. The
book progresses from the very basics to the more
complex aspects of electronics, including
Thevenin's, Norton's, and Millman's theorems.
Published by Tab Books, Blue Ridge Summit,
PA 17214. 352 pages. $8.95 hard cover; $5.95
soft corer.
If you have no label handy, print

OLD

address here.

i41

please print

name
1
- address

city
zip -code

stare

please print

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address

state

city
Add'I postage:

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per year outside U.S., its possessions & Canada.

111

TUNER SERVICE
VHF, UHF, FM or

IF
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Modules ..
. All Makes

hr. Service!'.
YEAR GUARANTEE

$ 9.95

VHF -UHF -FM

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IF- MODULE

$16.95
$12.50
Major Parts charged at Net Price
P.T.S. is overhauling more tuners for
more technicians than any other
tuner company in the world!
LIKE TO DO IT YOURSELF?
Send one Dollar (redeemable) for our
60 pages of top information
TUNER REPLACEMENT GUIDE
PARTS CATALOG

AND

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For

PTS ELECTRONICS, INC.

-7=404
ith6 Iwfu Suva"

HOME OFFICE

Bloomington. Ind. 47401 Tel. 812. 824 -9331

WESTBox 41354 Sacramento, Calif. 95841
Tel. 916, 482 -6220
SOUTH
Box 7332 Longview. Tex. 75601
Tel. 214, 753.4334
SOUTHEAST
Box 6881 Jacksonville, Fla. 32205 Tel. 904. 389 -9952
EAST
Box 3189 Springfield, Mass. 01103
Tel. 413, 734 -2737
MOUNTAIN Denver. Colo. 80204 Tel. 303. 244 -2818
Box 4245
Box

2 ^2

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PAIA ELECTRONIC PROJECTS CATALOG

Highlighted in the latest PAIA Electronics

catalog (No. 1072) is the company's new Model
2720 synthesizer, an out -of- this -world electronic
musical instrument based on a building -block
approach. Other items included are: low -distortion sustain, ping-pong, waa -waa, attack
delay unit, and foot switch (plastic molded in
the shape of a real foot) for electric guitars; a
rotating -speaker simulator; FM preamp; TV
sports blackout eliminator; sound effects modules; and much more. Address: PAIA Electronics, Inc., P.O. Box 14359, Oklahoma City, OK
73114.
EDMUND SCIENTIFIC CATALOG

The first 1973 Edmund Scientific catalog, No.

731, is hot off the presses, listing more than
4000 unusual items, 400 of which are new to
this latest edition. The 164 -page catalog fully
describes items for craft and hobby enthusiasts,
gardening and workshop buffs, serious students,
the scientifically minded, stargazers, and youngsters. Entries are listed according to such categories as optics, photographic attachments,
black -light displays, model rockets, tools, etc.
For the electronics buff, there are listings for a
number of solid -state kits. Address: Edmund
Scientific Co., 380 Edscorp Bldg., Barrington,
NJ 08007.
SWITCHCRAFT AUDIO ADAPTER BULLETIN

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ON READER SERVICE CARD

,,((

New Literature)

For the audiophile who wants two separate

outputs from a single miniature jack on his
radio, TV, or tape recorder, a new miniature
audio adapter is described in Product Bulletin
No. 251 from Switchcraft. The 330T3P1 adapter has a Switchcraft "Tini- Plug" phone plug on
one end and two molded "Tini- Extension Tax"
on the other end. Address: Switchcraft, Inc.,
5555 N. Elston Ave., Chicago, IL 60630.

120
1

reK

ON READER SERVICE CARD

SUPREME PUBLICATIONS MASTER INDEX

Supreme Publications is currently offering an

up -to -date Master Index that covers all of the
company's existing monochrome and color TV
manuals and all radio manuals back to the
1926 -38 issue. The index is a great convenience
for looking up material in Supreme manuals and
as an aid in determining the year of manufacPOPULAR ELECTRONICS Including Electronics

World

hire and comparing chassis and model numbers.

Hints on using diagrams as a service aid are
also given. Address: Supreme Publications, 1760
Balsam Rd., Highland Park, IL 60035.

multi -range dc standards. Address: Simpson

Electric Co., 5200 West Kinzie St., Chicago,
IL 60644.
JENSEN TOOL CATALOG

CLEVELAND INSTITUTE SYMBOLS HANDBOOK

\lore than 1900 individual items are described

new 22 -page pocket-sized handbook illustrating more than 500 symbols commonly used
in electronics is available from Cleveland
Institute of Electronics. Titled `Electronic
Symbols Handbook," the handy reference guide
groups the symbols into 19 general classifications, each listed alphabetically by page reference number in a table of contents. An added

in Catalog No. 572

feature is a 2 -page Electronics Data Cuide that

covers conversion factors and constants; Ohm's
law formulas; a resonant frequency, impedance
and decibel table; and the color code. Address:
Cleveland Institute of Electronics, Inc., 1776
East 17 St., Cleveland, 011 44114.

RUSSELL INDUSTRIES ANTENNA CATALOG

SIMPSON INSTRUMENTATION PRODUCTS

16 -page catalog, No. 369, available from

Simpson Electric Co. features a complete line
of instruments for the lab and workbench.
Among the listings are: digital electronic
counters /timers, digital VOM's, solid -state
electronic multimeters, a variety of miniature
strip chart recorders, multi -range chart recorders, an RLC bridge, low -cost secondary standards, multi -range precision milliohmmeters, and
A

the tape that

turned the
cassette into
a high- fidelity
medium

titled "Tools for Electronic

Assembly and Precision Mechanics" currently
being offered by Jensen Tools & Alloys. Section
headings include: screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers,
tweezers, files, shears, knives, microtools, relay
tools, work holders, test equipment, etc. A solder
section lists tin -lead alloys as well as eutectic
alloys, copper-bearing solders, and more. Another important feature of the catalog is the
inclusion of four pages of technical data on tool
selection. Address: Jensen Tools & Alloys, 4117
N. 44 St., Phoenix, AZ 85018.
Russell Industries, manufacturers of a complete
line of antenna rods, has announced the availability of a new information catalog. The 9page catalog, No. AC-7:3, contains a crossreferenced center foldout that lists replacement
rods for portable AM /FM radios and TV's,
walkie-talkies, indoor FM, uhf, mobiles, and
scanners. Illustrations for most rods and assemblies, plus an application chart, are included. Address: Russell Industries, Inc., 96
Station Plaza, Lynbrook, NY 11563.

rs
"......

Until TDK developed gamma ferric oxide, cassette

recorders were fine for taping lectures, conferences, verbal
memos and family fun -but not for serious high fidelity.
Today you can
choose among
high-quality
stereo
cassette
decks.

,'.IMERAMI.01
.

w.

s ....,.
M

ION

..,

mm

am

WOO

.w

The new magnetic oxide used in TDK Super Dynamic

tape distinctively differs from standard formulations in such

important properties as coercive force, hysteresis -loop

squareness, average particle length (only 0.4 micron!) and
particle width /length ratio. These add up to meaningful
performance differences: response capability from 30 to
20,000 Hz, drastically reduced background hiss, higher
output level, decreased distortion and expanded dynamic
range. In response alone, there's about 4 to 10 db more
output in the region above 10,000 Hz -and this is
immediately evident on any cassette recorder, including
older types not designed for high performance. There's a
difference in clarity and crispness you can hear.

e
TDK SUPER DYNAMIC (SD) TAPE

Available in C3OSD, C6OSD, C9OSD and C120S0 length

TDK ELECTRONICS CORP.

LONG !BLAND CITY,
YORK
NEW

CIRCLE NOMAY 1973

34

11103

ON READER SERVICE CARD

113

SALE

Surplus Scene
By Alexander W. Burawa, Associate Editor

TIME TO ADD NEW NAMES TO YOUR DEALER LIST

date, we have mentioned in this column
a very few of the total number
of dealers doing business on the Surplus
Scene. Most of the names we have mentioned were well -known (by anyone who is
familiar with the surplus business) before
they appeared in these pages. For those
readers who have been keeping tally of the
dealers we have mentioned (and from the
mail received, we have no doubt that a great
many of you are keeping tally), the following should be added to your lists.
East Coast Electronics (50 Scott St.,
Hamburg, NY 14075) states on the front
page of the catalog they sent to us: "No
fancy frills-just honest surplus bargains at
the right prices." Looking through the listings in the catalog, we find that the statement is basically true. The company's stock
in trade is parts-diodes, transistors, capacitors, coils, transformers, etc. But sandwiched into the listings are other items like
power supplies; Rotron muffin fans; computer -type digital tape decks; and motor
control, fire alarm, and burglar alarm kits.
Wonder of wonders, Colonel Wayne D.
Russell (9410 Walhampton, Louisville, KY
40222) deals exclusively in Signal Corps
surplus communication equipment. From
the catalog pages we've seen, any ham or
SWL who passes up sending for the catalog
will be missing some of the best buys we've
seen in government surplus gear.
Way out in the northwest, Star -Tronics
(P.O. Box 17127, Portland, OR 97217) puts
out a new catalog every month. To name
just a few of the items listed in past catalogs, there were TS-505A/U military
VTVM's. TS -452C /U military sweep generator /spectrum analyzers, and T- 336 /ARC12 five- channel, crystal-controlled vhf transmitters. Regularly featured are test equipment manuals and discrete parts.

Toonly

114

For hobbyists, experimenters, and do-ityourselfers of both beginner and sophisticated levels, Cortlandt Electronics, Inc. (16
Hudson St., New York, NY 10013) claims
that the listings in its current catalog comprise the lowest priced line of high- quality
electronic kits and components in the industry. The kits include a light- activated
relay, a car burglar alarm, a code- practice
oscillator, and a variable time flasher. The
parts listings range trom resistors and capacitors to motors and relays.
While not exactly a "surplus" dealer,
EEP Corp. (10180 W. Jefferson Blvd.,
Culver City, CA 90230) is a good source
of hard -to -find solid -state parts and readout devices. A nice lineup of National LM
Series voltage regulator IC's is complemented by a wide variety of the new EXAR
XR -0000 Series of transistor array, waveform generator, timing and decoder, and
operational multiplier IC's and kits. Also
listed are 1N4001- 1N4007 diodes, 2N3055
transistors, red and green seven-segment
display tubes, and LED panel lamps/illumina-tors.
Pardon Our Goof. In the February 1973
edition of the Surplus Scene, we mistakenly
stated that specific model numbers of electronic gear are not listed in the catalogs
put out by R.E. Goodheart Co., Inc. (P.O.
Box 1220, Beverly Hills, CA 90213) We
have been informed that the only thing
arbitrary about the company's listings is the
category number applied to their catalogs.
Actually, the company does list specific
items by type and model number, but you
have to specify the catalog you want. (You
don't have to know the category number;
just tell them what type of equipment interests you and the company will send along
the appropriate catalog.)
OO
.

POPULAR ELECTRONICS

Including Electronics World

ELECTRONICS MARKET PLACE

firms or individuals offering commercial products or services, $1.60 per word
$16.00.
Minimum
order
Payment
and
address).
(including name
must accompany copy except when ads are placed by accredited
advertising agencies. Frequency discount: 5% for 6 months;
10 %, for 12 months paid in advance. READER RATE: For individuals with a personal item to buy or sell, $1.00 per word (including name and address.) No minimum! Payment must accompany
copy. DISPLAY CLASSIFIED: 1" by 1 column (25/e" wide), $200.00.
2" by 1 column, $400.00. 3" by 1 column, $600.00. Advertiser to
supply cuts. For frequency rates, please inquire.
NON -DISPLAY CLASSIFIED: COMMERCIAL RATE: For

FOR SALE

GENERAL INFORMATION: First word in all ads set in bold caps at

no extra charge. All copy subject to publisher's approval. All
advertisers using Post Office Boxes in their addresses MUST

supply publisher with permanent address and telephone number

before ad can be run. Advertisements will not be published
which advertise or promote the use of devices for the surreptitious interception of communications. Closing Date: 1st of the
2nd month preceding cover date (for example, March issue
closes January 1st. Send order and remittance to Hal Cymes.
POPULAR ELECTRONICS
Including ELECTRONICS WORLD, One
Park Avenue, New York, New York 10016.

BUILD YOUR OWN SPACEACE TV CAMERA

MY

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ll.

1301 'ROADWAY

mho kits, port, and plans available including motor kits, faa>.
coils, vidicon Nbn, tonar. plan, adio suboamr kit, mc.

ATV Research

DAKOTA CITY,

NAR. 68731

Electronics Experimenters, Science Fair

. Construction
Plans- Complete, including drawStudents
Robot
ings, schematics, parts list with prices and sources
Emotion /Lie Detector
Lasers
Man
Psychedelic shows
Touch -Tone Dial- Quadrasonic Adapter- Transistorized Ignition
over 60 items. Send 25C coin
-Burglar Alarm -Sound Meter
(no stamps) for complete catalog. Technical Writers Group, Box
5994, State College Station, Raleigh, N.C. 27607.
AMATEUR SCIENTISTS,

ELECTRONIC PARTS, semiconductors, kits. FREE FLYER. Large catalog $1.00 deposit. BIGELOW ELECTRONICS, Bluffton, Ohio 45817.

Answering Machine,
Speakerphone, Carphone, Phonevision. Auto Dialer, Touch Button
Dialer, Central Dial System. TELEVISION: $35.00 Color Converter,
Video Tape Recorder. $25.00 Camera. HOBBYIST: Electron Microscope, 96 Hour Tape Music System, Ultrasonic Dishwasher,
Radar -Oven. Plans $4.95 each. NEW ITEM: $75. Electronic
Pocket Calculator, $7.50. COURSES: Telephone Engineering
$39.50. Detective Electronics $22.50, Integrated Circuit Engineering, $49.50. NEW SUPER HOBBY CATALOG plus year's subscription to Electronic New Letter AIRMAILED $1.00. Don Britton
Enterprises, 6200 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. 90048.
WE SELL CONSTRUCTION PLANS. TELEPHONE:

RADIO -T.V. Tubes -36C each. Send for

4213 University, San Diego, Calif. 92105.

etc

lidbeeng

dd '.Ao

Receivers, Transmitters, Snooperscopes,

Radios, Parts, Picture Catalog 24. Meshna, Nahant, Mass. 01908.
Catalog

&

po,rom

GOVERNMENT Surplus

LOWEST Prices Electronic Parts. Confidential

KNAPP, 3174 8TH Ave. S.W., Largo, Fla. 33540.

d bb

TV

lel lar rg,rimm,a,,

askd k aver
qudiy
rvlly Gueramead
G,nmcn

SOLIDSTATE CAMERA KIT!

DOWN

Lm., e,o,i, 'n

Fiber optics, LED's, transistors, diodes,

rectifiers, SCR's, triacs, parts. Poly Paks, Box 942, Lynnfield,
Mass. 01940.
FREE! bargain catalog.

...

...

REGULATED LABORATORY SUPPLY

s

free catalog. Cornell,

SENCORE, B &K Test Equipment Unbelievable Prices. Free Catalog

and Price Sheet. Fordham Radio, 265 East 149th Street, Bronx,
N.Y. 10451.
CONVERT any

television to sensitive, big- screen oscilloscope.

Only minor changes required. No electronic experience necessary. Illustrated plans. $2.00. Relco -A33, Box 10563, Houston,
Texas 77018.
METERS -Surplus, new, used, panel or
Hanchett, Box 5577, Riverside, CA 92507.

portable. Send for list.

PYROTECHNICAL chemicals, casings, tools, supplies, fuse,

liter-

ature. Giant, illustrated catalogue /handbook includes formulas,

instructions-50C, with samples-$1.00. Westech, Box 593,
Logan, Utah 84321.
ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS- Distributor prices, Free catalog. Box

2581, El Cajon, California 92021.

ANTIGRAVITY, experiment and theory, Rushed -$2.00. U.S. Inquiries. Intertech 7A8, Box 5373, Station -F, Ottawa, Canada.
HONG KONG DIRECTORY. World products information.
$1.00 today. Sekai Shogyo Annai, Hillyard, Washington 99207.
JAPAN

EQUIPMENT, Aerospace- Laboratory Grade. Request your

needs; will mail appropriate catalogs (we have 24 catalog categories). Only for Engineers, Businesses, Schools and advanced
Technicians. Goodheart, Box 1220PE, Beverly Hills, Calif. 90213.
TEST

...

..

.
PLANS: Laser
$2.00. Missile Tracker
$2.00. Howard,
$2.00. Catalog 25C. ESP Experimenters Kit
P.O. Box 35271, Detroit, Michigan 48235.

CONSTRUCTION

MAY 1973

...

(cover open view)

This computer power supply delivers 5 highly
regulated & filtered voltages. 24 volts @ 1.6 A.,
26.5 volts @ 3.25 A., 18 volts @ 6.6 A.,14 volts
@ 2.9 A.,& 12 volts @ 1 A.Bench or 19" rack
mount.A beautiful piece of equipment. 500
sold last year @ $49.50. Weight 43 lbs.
STOCK NO.F5025 $39.50 ea. 2/75.00
P & B

POWER RELAY

Potter Brumfield PR7AL1 DPST

power relay. 25 Amp. silver contacts.1 set auxilliary contacts,5
amps. SPST. 115 volt 60 Hz.
Removed from new equipment.
STOCK NO.F9555 .75 ea. 3/2.00 5/3.00
NEW COMPUTER GRADE CAPACITORS
70,000 Mfd. 10 volts 1.75 ea. 6/9.00 No.J2118
32,000 Mfd. 40 volts 2.00 ea.6 /11.00 No.J2210.
3,750 Mfd. 75 volts 1.75 ea. 6/9.00 No. J2116
Send for new 48 page catalog, loaded with new
items. Please include sufficient postage. Excess
will be refunded. MINIMUM ORDER $3.00

DELTA ELECTRONICS CO.

BOX

617. 388.4705

CIRCLE NO.

10

l9o3

ON READER SERVICE CARD

115

DIGITAL ELECTRONICS! Complete schematics, parts lists, theories

32 in One

fors 5ppd.

32 Surveillance Projects by
means of 6 sub -attemblies
plus parts & illustrated in-

1111

lit MI

structions

-all

circuit diagrams

&

post -paid.
Kit includes these
sub -assemblies:
Twin Photocellsw /transistors
$5

Sound -triggered SCR circuit

DPDT Relay; multi -voltage coil
Two glass -enclosed reed

switches
Magnet & reed -switch coil
Pulse detector w /mike & SCR
Combine these ready -to -use
units to make a variety of
intrusion detectors. Using your
imagination, toys, games, gadgets, etc. are also possible.
A few of the 32 projects are
light- activated relay, light
and /or sound switches, automatic telephone recording
switch, all low battery powered
trespasser & alarm systems.
Send check or M.O. 10 -day
money -back guarantee.
Ask for free catalog.

CORTLANDT ELECTRONICS, Inc.

16

Hudson St. NYC 10013. 212-964-8044

CIRCLE NO.

4'!.

PRICES
SLASHED

NATIONALLY
KNOWN
BRANDS

TTL
7453N
7454N
7472N
7473N
7474N
74755
7476N
7486N
7490N
7492N
7493N
7495N
74107N
74121N
LINEAR INTEGRATED CIRCUITS
38c
DIP or MINIDIP
38c
or DIP
90c
40c
DIP or MINIDIP
43c
DIP or MINIDIP
75c
711) MINIDIP
90c
741) TO -5

32c
32c
39c
48c
48c
72c
53c
53c
72C
720
720
$1.20
54c
56c

10'53.50
709C TO -5
10'53.50
710C TO -5
10/58.25
723C TO -5
10'53.70
741C TO -5
10 -53.95
748C TO -5
10 $6.75
558 (DUAL
1058.25
558 (DUAL
5/$10.00
$2.25
LM309K 'r0 -3
GENSRAL PURPOSE SILICON TRANSISTORS
709C MINIDIP
40c 10 $3.50 300 529.00
723C T0-5
90c 10 58.25 100. 578.00
741C MINIDIP
50c 10 54.05 100'$36.00
748C MINIDIP
55c 10 $4.50 100'$40.00
558C MINIDIP
88c 10 56.90 100 561.00
LM301 MINIDIP
45c 10 $3.70 100 531.00
5:'$11.25
LM309K TO -3
-..$2.50
The above full spec. first line TTL and Linear devices are also
available with "Relaxed Specs." fully functional at discounts up
to 50q /p. Use Reader's Service Card for Flyer.
3 AMP SILICON RECTIFIERS
1N4003 200PIV
1N4003
1M/545
56

...

1M /$55
100,57
100,59
1M/$75
0/$15 100:$4 1M /$30
1N4148 (1N914 equiv.)ON
MOLEX IC SOCKET PINS
100 $1.00 200/51.80
300/$2.60 500/54.20 70055.80
1000.$8.20 ea addn 1000'$7.50
READOUT TUBES
5 Volt 7 Segment Readout Tube $3.75. Counting and Display
Kit (Readout Tube 7490 - 7475 -7447) $5.75, 3 Kits for $16.50
1/p & 1/z WATT 1000 RESISTORS
1/4W 5C 30. 51.20, 100 $3.00, 500 513.75 as low as 1.70 ea
a t,ty -see catalog
1/2W 4C 30'900. 100 52.50, 500 $11.25 as low as is ea
in quantity -see catalog

10/$1
7/51

SIGNAL DIODE

C.O.D. ORDERS ACCEPTED FOR SAME DAY SHIPMENT

CALL 218- 681 -6674

Free Catalog-Large Qnnntity Discounts- Orders Less Than

7(0.00 Add 257- Others Postpaid

CIRCLE NO.

PRICE

FT
BOX 126 K THIEF
13

ETCO,

Catalog lists resistors, tubes, transistors, rectifiers,

condensers, tools, tuners, etc. Hytron Hudson, Dept. PE, 2201
Bergenline Ave., Union City, N.J. 07087.
ELECTROENCEPHALOPHONE: brainwave monitor. Professional biofeedback instruments. J &J, 8102 -E, Bainbridge, Wash. 98110.
SYNTHESIZER kits -Surf $11.95, Wind $11.95, Wind
Chimes $16.95, Electronic Songbird $6.95, musical accessories,
many more. Catalog free. PAIA Electronics, Box J14359,
Oklahoma City, OK 73114.
SOUND

analog computer modules. LED numeric display

kits. FREE LITERATURE. Scientific Measurements, 2945 Central,
Wilmette, Illinois 60091.
DIGITAL and

FOR

Electronic Profits, your area! Free details! Hutson

SHARE my

23S, 1425 E. Madison, El Cajon, CA 92021.

WHOLESALE C.B.,

250.

G- Enterprises,

multiband receivers. Lowest prices. Catalog

Box 14P, O'Fallon, III. 62269.

ALPHA /THETA feedback

instruments -$25. Sensitive circuit of

Inner Space Electronics,

$75 unit. Ultimate ease of use.

Box 308PE, Berkeley, CA 94701.

FIREWORKS NEWS -Monthly magazine covering Fireworks, ConSources of Supplies, New Firms -Products. Free

struction,

Fireworks Catalogs with Subscriptions! $9.00 per calendar year.

Sample -Booklist $1.00! Pyro Press, Box 1202N, Lexington,
Kentucky 40501.

trigger sweep and dual trace

to any scope using low cost kits. HTP,

Calif. 95014.

Box 901,

CLpertino,

FREE CATALOG
COMPARABLE KITS*

SATISFACTION GUARANTEED
DIGITAL
7400N
320
7401N
320
7402N
32C
7403N
32C
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32c
7410N
320
7420N
326
7430N
32C
7440N
32C
7441N
51.50
7442N
$1.20
7447N
1 15
7451N
32C

DIGI-KEY

electronics for everyone. Free catalog. U.S. inquiries.

464 McGill, Montreal, Canada.

SURPLUS

%41,7i

FACTORY FIRSTS

1N4005 600PIV
154007 1000PIV

Free literature. DYNASIGN, Box 60A7, Wayland, Mass. 01778.

OSCILLOSCOPE improvement. Add

ON READER SERVICE CARD

IC

Component Digital Clock, $3.00 -Sound Sensitive

Switch, $1.50. Increase technical competence, hobby skills
Complete Course in Digital Electronics is highly effective, $10.00.

FREE

kit, for only

in one

-Discrete

UP TO

50% OFF

BUY DIRECT

SAYE SSS

--

Electronic Kits Amplifiers

FREE Catalog
Burglar Alarms
Psychedelic Strobes
Preamps
Digital Tachometer More: Free Catalog.
SWTPC, Box A32040, San Antonio, Tex. 78284.

MECHANICAL, ELECTRONIC devices catalog 10e. Greatest Values

-Lowest Prices. Fertik's, 5249 "D ", Philadelphia, Pa. 19120.

IGNITION SYSTEMS: Capacitor, Transistor.

Anderson Engineering, Epsom, N.H. 03239.

Information

10C.

Tube -$9.50, Bargain Laser -Electronic Catalog -$1.00

(Refundable). Plasma Systems, Box 3261, San Jose, CA 95116.
LASER

INSTRUMENTED, FLYING ROCKETS for casual or

serious experimenters. Over 80 scale, original, multi -stage or
ready-to -fly models. Solid- propellant engines for safe, electric
launch system liftoffs up to 2,500 feet. Measure altitude, temp.
inversions, more. Real telemetry, electronic tracking, aerial
still and movie photography with super- miniaturized equipment.
New, detailed tech manual and full -color catalog, 25C from
ESTES INDUSTRIES, Dept. 18J, Penrose, Colo. 81240.
AUTHENTIC,

FREE

catalog. Surplus electronic parts. JK Products, P.O. Box

527 -E, Norris, Tenn. 37828.

CDI Ignitions, VHF /UHF monitors, CB
Wholesale. Southland, Box 3591, Baytown, Texas 77520.
ELECTRONIC

radios.

biofeedback instruments. Unique digital filters for ultimate precision. BioScan, Box 14168E, Houston,

ALPHA /THETA brainwave

Texas 77021.

MN56701

ON READER SERVICE CARD

116

POPULAR ELECTRONICS

Including Electronics World

ELECTRONIC ORGAN KITS, KEYBOARDS, Independent and divider

tone generators. All diode keying. I.C. circuitry. Many components. With our kits you can build any type or size organ
desired. 25e for catalog. DEVTRONIX ORGAN PRODUCTS, Dept. C,
5872 Amapola Dr., San Jose, Calif. 95129.

LED MITY DIGITS

(1- -

_1

EXPERIMENTER and audiophile -test cables, chemicals, useful

items -Free catalog. Technical Services, Box 687, Arlington,

..?",/I

:.

MN 55307.

1973 HOBBY ELECTRONICS DIRECTORY. $1.50, Newcal, Box 323A,

El Segundo, Cal. 90245.
POCKET Tele Microscope 8X telescope 30X Microscope Great for
sports, hunting, stamp and coin collectors, $2.20; 3 for $6.25.
Lherisson, 1365 St. Nicholas Ave., New York, N.Y. 10033. Free
Catalog.
ELECTRONIC BOOKS' Grab Bag, five different volumes, $4.95.
Fifteen, $9.95. Publications, 1760 Balsam, Highland Park, Ill.
60035.
ELECTRONIC IGNITION (COI) assembled, ready for twenty minute
installation $33. Request information or order from: ANALEKTA,
Box 7340, Fort Worth, Texas 76111.
WHY NOT JAM

INDUCTORS, mylar capacitors, coil bobbins, speakers. TSR, 3673W,

113th, Inglewood, California 90303.

QUALITY electronics

Washington 98270.

kits -Surf $11.95, Wind $11.95, Wind

Chimes $16.95, electronic songbird, $6.95, musical accessories,
free.
many more. Catalog
PAIA Electronics, Box 114359, Oklahoma
SOUND

SYNTHESIZER

City, OK 73114.
BRAINWAVE TRANSLATOR. Revolutionary breakthrough in quality
Biofeedback Instrumentation at low costs. HUMATECH INDUSTRIES, Drawer 1766 -E, Fremont, California 94538.

Bargain Catalog of Electronic Components. Chaney, Box

15431, Lakewood, Colorado 80215.
FREE

CATALOG. Parts, circuit boards for Popular Electronics

projects. PAIA Electronics, Box C14359, Oklahoma City, OK 73114.
FREE

BARGAINS: Surplus Electronics,

free catalog. Atlantis -PE, Box

12654, Tucson, Arizona 85711.

TRIGGERED Oscilloscopes -$129.00!

7741 Fir, Toledo, Ohio 43612.

LASER Parts Catalog, 60e. Moynihan, 107 No.

Brighton, Atlantic

City, New Jersey 08401.

DIGITAL CLOCK PC $11.00 pp. Build with your parts on our tested
board, instructions included. ADRL, 14 Coachman, Freehold, N.J.
07728.

alarm supplies and information. Free catalog.

Protecto Alarm Sales, Box 357 -G, Birch Run, Michigan 48415.
BURGLAR -FIRE

MAGNETS
-20

MAY 1973

11t

Ray 3
Take

10%

Sorry, can't name D.S. maker! Type SD5001.

Similar to Mostek 5012. Outperforms Texas
8 -digit TMS -1802. Features: 40 -pin DIP; not 5,
of 3, but only single "calculator chip ". 12digit capacity: adds, eubtracts, multiplies, divides, fixed baint (0. 2, 9 or 4 decimal places).

50
p

...``.

chain operation,. leading zero blanking. 7-segment decoded display output, overflow lockout,
and negative sign output. Drives iandescent
nc
fluorescent, Nixies, and LED readouts,
3 ter $35
with imtruction booklet.
7- SEGMENT

$5.50

r^ -r
a-

,e4eket.

10ma, with decimal

point. Like MAN -1
Socket ter above. Sot

SYSTEM
atch.

counter.

driver.

p,

dec-

557475

BCD de0

and 2116109 pa
pap. With schematics. printed

tube, instructions.

circuit and parts board layouts.

This display is excelles for

small portable electronics,

c Ictro ors
such as
etc. Equivalent to Monsanto
MAN 3A, Operates from 5V,
20 milliamperes, with 47
READOUTS
ohm dropping resister-

linear

sal
0 533

NI Wee

EJ

711W

995

Amps

Bak

emes. rf1AsD
/Keg., .....
ntr es
709 -709
739,39

Tyr

51174.1

5l
3.33

3.93

..

2.3o

Tow per Wiser are

rm..2 723 voltage reg.
Timer

Mar
Mar

Mae

Irk

2-04

1.15

-kev

uSecoMS to 1
Duel 741 I leis! DIP2

S.1

745e

745C

1.19

.95
3.05

lese

3.25
3.25
3.25
3.25

leek Ease
lock loom

{.raterlAlW

-a

weeder 1MIM DIP1- !

w
fear ue.Mrenl multiplier

Ni gala, DC amp. TO -e
111-16,
-IF, an m, 14 Wits, TO -S
Operational amp Ia.) ..
DIN ereIAMI a
(AI
Duel
comp (a) ..
.

325
,.10

.44
1.00
.39
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.3s

Owl 7410, UI
Free. adj. 7410

I1

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44

B. Under.oldf
LOWEST PRICES ON TT
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Pl. rk.at

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sow
741 TO.3

Volts.a regulator l
.9S
741C
war>
n
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Frequency comp 709 (ROM
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100
199
100

741 -741

ET Inputs

10%

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rate en-am

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Male k loop.

955
595
597
595
702C
703C
709C
710C
7130
723C

or DIP dual

Bay 3
Take

5511

841

tie Aey
!O; 0 4.45
tit, TD -

5117400

534
537
eso

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SSS

in line

hi

35 WATT AUDIO C 53.33 :J

AMPLIFIER BASIC 2 FOR STLRCOS6
Pm class AB o e. Basic includes: Signetic
54n an transistor high power driver TO-5
"IC ", with a pair of complimentary 35watt plaot is transistors, i.e. 2N5296 non

COUNTIN

lde

RN/

l34

50

Fe

t 5 0o

Includes SN7490,

L.
READOUTS : 3 for $lo
MAN -4 EQUAL
$3.95
0 -9 plus letters, for SNS'.V in
pxin
P
2,

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x(

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SO7450
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507431
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507474 .39
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51174152 1.10
507438
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5117440
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tad

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araate.d

T....

MAGNETS. All types. Specials

disc magnets, or 2 stick magnets, or 10 small bar magnets, or 8 assorted magnets, $1.00.
Maryland Magnet Company, Box 192H, Randallstown, Maryland

21133.

,,

NEW
W

SSNN7b]

Inquire. Bedford Electronics,

.1

NEW! 12 -DIGIT 'CALCULATOR ON A CHIP'

Tak.

BRAIN WAVE CONTROL Biosone BF -2 Alpha Training Instrument.

$34.95 complete. Not a Kit. Fully Guaranteed. For information
write. BIO-LOGIC DEVICES, Dept. A, Box 308, Stewartstown, Pa.
17363.

I,

NOder
ine

parts: Free Flyer!, Box 475, Marysville,

"

301,
2.1

design. Features
40 or MI Ile operation. Internal digit multiplex ,oeiW,tor. leading zero blanking, high output current- forOle
r lout nterface. Single power nuppiy uperat,n.
Digit blanking for retraced current drain. 11 thru 19 volt
range. Full MOS LSI. Spec sheets included.

compute
square roots, trigonometric functions, logarithms, exponentials,
$2.00.
easily.
Instructions
accurately,
and more, quickly,
Mallmann Optics and Electronics, 836 South 113, West Allis,
Wisconsin 53214.

CLOCK ON A CHIP

$14.95

ONE CHIP ELIMINATING 15 and

honey saver! Latest in cluck
12 or 24 -11r. operation. 4 or li digit..,

14206,

+ -X= calculator to

7448, 7475, 7490, booklet.

" DIGITAL

other parts. Space Saver!

91404.

use your

CALCULATOR owners:

at low--

low Paces.

IIIP- 1!NA(:INF'

Pin

electronics for pros and serious amateurs.

Computer memories, boards, I.C.S., semi- conductors. 2N2222,
eight for $1. Miniature 4V 40MA Lamp, eleven for $1. Fifteen
P.O. Box

['

NEW

magnetic reeds on board, $1. Tri -Tek, Inc.,

Phoenix, Arizona 85063.

Monsanto equal.
3 x 20 printed
with finntool Side -mounting
Sera
MAN -4 socket, resistors,

Kit includes:
ckt board,

Digital

Counting
Modules

Only
ff1
MM6:11,1 `dlreet substitute to famous C.S. maker.

UNWANTED NOISE WITH RELAXING PINK NOISE?

POB 2846PE, Van Nuys, CA

111

Kit $4.95, assembled $6.95. Moneyback. Dealers inquire. Xenon

50W Fashtubes: 2/$4.20, 10/$17. Plans 75e. Flyer. Mindlight,
SURPLUS and

(u

Will outperform any other

DCM on the market today,
not gaseous, not incandescent, but a device that will
READ almost for life. MAN -

"DCM'S"

VnfuS Retell: 16 -18 Del

Carmine St.. Wakefield, Mass.
ton Water Street) C.O.D.'S MAY BE PHONED
IN
v o BOX 942 E
18

for

years

POLY PAKS

CIRCLE NO.

29

Lynnheld

OIo
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ON READER SERVICE CARD

117

PLANS AND KITS

HIGHLY effective college-level home study programs in Electronics

Engineering and Engineering Mathematics. (Our 27th Year). Free
Literature. Cook's Institute, Dept. 15, Box 10634, Jackson, Miss.

ANTIGRAVITY DEVICE. Brochure rushed free. AGD, Box 3062 -ZD,

39209.

Bartlesville, Oklahoma 74003.

RE.E

for F.C.C., 3rd.,

($7.00), 2nd., ($12.00), 1st., ($16.00), phone exams; Complete
package, $25.00. Research Company, Dept. A, Rt. 2, BOX 448,
Calera, Alabama 35040.
F.C.C. TYPE Exams Guaranteed to prepare you

Analog,

PLANS-Proven design $2.00. General

Halladay, Santa Ana, Calif. 92705.
CBI

3014F

S.

THE AIR announcer training at R.E.I. features individual

realistic preparation for your Radio /TV career. R.E.I.'s engineering course features intensive training for the FCC First Phone!
Complete either course in just five (5) weeks! Call 1-800-237-2251
toll free for brochure. Write: R.E.I., 1336 Main Street, Sarasota,
ON

KIT CATALOG

Why does every major College, University, Technical School, Research & Development Center
buy from us? Because we have the highest quality
and lowest prices. Free Catalog. SWTPC, Box
H32040, San Antonio, Tex. 78284.

Florida 33577.
SHORTCUTS To Success! Highly Effective, Profitable Short Courses.
(75 Choices). Study At Home. Diploma Awarded. Our 27th Year.
Free Literature. CIEE -D, Box 10634, Jackson, Miss. 39209.

System with camera, etc. Drawings and Details

$2.00. Julien's, 1237 Palm Ave., Beaumont, Calif. 92223.
UPDATE Alarm

WA -

Convert your transistor portable TV to project a giant 5'x6' PICTURE

Use with any tranonto wall. sheet, or screen for under $10.00.
Assemble in one evening,
sistor portable, up to 15" picture tube
Removable in seconds for normal TV viewno experience necessary.
ing. Kit contains detailed plans, complete inst. and precision Lens
You supply wood and common mirror. Guaranteed to work
system .
or money refunded.
Complete kit
$12.95 Postage
Paid
including lens
THE MACROCOMA CO. Dept. ED -5
WASHINGTON CROSSING, PENNA. 18977
.

TECHNICIAN-Prepare for exciting

ELECTRONICS
career in new field of "Avionics." Train at nation's largest
aeronautical school. Indicate if eligible for G.I. Benefits.
Spartan Airschool, International Airport, Dept. MMW, Tulsa,
Oklahoma 74151.
AVIATION

PASS FCC EXAMS; Memorize, study

-"1973 Tests -Answers" for FCC

and Second class Radiotelephone licenses. Newly revised

diace squesios
FCC
grams copls
cover all areas
Ability
Ab
9.95 stpaid.

First

SOLID STATE controlled auto alarm. Plans $1.00. Mr. Walton,

P.O. Box 10473, Ft. Worth, Texas 76114.

BUILD digital clock or freq. counter. Plans and PC boards,

$15.00, both $27.50; plans only $5.00 each. Mikra -D, Box 403,
Holliston, Mass. 01746.
zone detector.
ACUPUNCTURE Electronic
ADZ, Box 2422, San Rafael, CA 94109.

Schematic

$2.00.

kit for the amateur scientist-complete optics, mirrors,

crystal, tubing -write for instructions and free literature, Esco
Products, 167 Oak Ridge Road, Oak Ridge, New Jersey 07438.

LASER

P.O. BOX 26348 -P

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. 94126

COMMAND PRODUCTIONS
11010

(N01NttlIN0

DIVISION

FCC FIRST CLASS LICENSE

through tape recorded lessons with

Training, 1060D

one week personal instruction. Radio License

Duncan, Manhattan Beach, Calif. 90266.

Free homestudy details. Corn pukits, Box 4192M, Mountain View, California 94040.
LEARN COMPUTOR ELECTRONICS.

TAPE RECORDING COURSE: Taught by studio engineers. Free information. NNA, Box 721R, Rye, New York 10580.

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first and second $8.95. Specialty Shop, Box 1242E,

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EXAMS, FCC

INSTRUCTION
LEARN ELECTRONIC ORGAN SERVICING at home all makes

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NHSC,

Free

includ-

Booklet. NILES BRYANT SCHOOL, 3631 Stockton,

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LEARN WHILE ASLEEP, Hypnotize! Strange catalog
suggestion, Box 24 -ZD, Olympia, Washington 98501.

instruction.

free. Auto-

IN

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LOGIC

07463.
118

trainers catalogs 50e.

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learning. Hypnotic method. 92% effective. Details free.

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Hypnotism. Self- Hypnosis. Sleep Learning Catalog! Drawer

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POPULAR ELECTRONICS

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LED 7-SEGMENT DISPL 11:

Solid 510e Systems 1os now expanded Ws line of LED Displays and
rod. The follow htg are now ailable from us A Anse prices.

PRICES GOING UP!

1-

19

511- 99

1110- $99

1.25

:1.75

.1.50

191111F 58111
P I
II I I \

Il\ l

15(111

PAR
PRE \
IN Ill

IN

s1 s

1;1

11

01

III

)01

III

DENI 59E) FOR ICS IN CENER

ANO 1"11.1,'S IN
II 'ts C SUSHI) SEVERE SIIORT SEES 5N1) SII %RP
01 It (losT. REGRETrt H.). (6F. SRI-. FORCED 'II)
'((III- 4 IN ORDER TO 111 5131.1 TO Ohl
THESE
51)6

1.5

I PR iL

1111.1.

Lit

Catalog

I.

1013

111110

1013

Number

99

909

on

990

.31
.111

7103

.31
.36
36
.56
.56
.38
.38

74,1
7119,
71117
71011

71)19
71111

:11

7111

.31
.60

7113
7116
7117

144
415

1.911

1.811

1.70

1.30

1.1h

1.119

.28
.30
301

71181

1/.611

3311

.47
.17
.32
.32

5.211

1.2:5
33/11

711112

1.26

1.19

.12

71192
71193
71198
71199

2.111
2.111

2.00
2.00
23/5
2.95

L.911
13/11

:1.111

3.10

.111

.88

.8 1

.7')
.79

.51

71S113

.88

.81
.01

79
.90

.32

.30

.28

1.61
1.27
1.27
1.27
1.62

1.55

1.16

1.21/

1.13
1.13

7 4S65

.88

./11

1.20
1.53

1.13

7167:1

11.1.1

71571

1.82
1.82

1.73
17.1

1.27
1.23
1.37

1.211

11.13
1.119

7151117

1.82

1.73

1.16
1.21/

1.22

.32
.32

.30

1.82
1.82

.28
.28

715112
7IS
744101

1.73
1.73
.03

.12

.30

I
I

51

71

1.51

.53

.31
II)

1.1111

71518)
712109

.88

00
.70
.79

74,111
712:11

.88

.79

.311

.81
.111

.79
.79

.75
.75

1.00

.95

.911

7 9+511

.88
.88
.88

111

.79
79
.79
.79
.79
1.63

.85
.75
.73

.12

.30
.30

.13

/11

.3 t

.31
.16

7172
7173

.111

52

7171

7175
7 /76

Jill

71811

.811
1.11/

7185

1.72
1.58

71111.

.60

.38
.19
.19
.76

.28
.28
.37

.36
.16
.16
.72
.52

.85

.811

1.18
.85

1.11
1111

.5!

.19
.68
.95

711

1.31.

1.27

.75
.75

.711

.1111

1.32

1.26

1.211

1.32
1.32
1.80

1.26
1.20

1.20
1.20

1.11
1_1 I

1.711

1.611

.61
.61

.70

.711

11

511

61
61

.18
60
1.30
1.75
1.50

.20
.66

.13

2.110

1.30
1811

15

.68
1.10
1.57
1.3fi
1.711

.21
60

2.75

1.18
1.50

1156

71157
11511

1611

1161
162

1.56
1.16
1.56
1.56

1.39
1.18
1.18

2.20 2 111
2.20 2811
2.20 2.10
2

20

2.111
2.111

10

2.20

2 211

161

1.I9

.111

.115

1.110

1.18
1.29
1.55
1.12

911

.115

Il"
2.19

2.95

2.25

2.111

1.95
3.6 1
1.09
.05
1.05

1.11
6.112

.192

1.111

1.115

2.10
1.00

1.95

1.10
1.00
1.80

3/5

3111

.115

9E161111

1.37

NE56111

357

1316
1.11,

1.13
1.13

2.91
2.9 1

9E50211
155659

1.37

1.36

IST

436

9E5661
9E5673
95111 5
55395 I
95596 \

1.57

4:16

IST

IlS

1.13

.119

315
.32

1.11)

1.87

23/ t
/39 t

:4211

33111

2.1111

.311

1.77
.17

1.06
.51

1.56

7119V

710

.731

.17

.1!

.11

.2

.55

723
733

13111

.95

1.911

1.811

.55

52

717%
7015
1.31335
1313111

1,31337

.19
3111

.11

1.31

2.00

1.90

10116

'3

411

.16
.85

2.511
2.511

1.90

$0.$1.

61.811

300

05.1111

71111

for
for

18.211

111-99

19

.60
.0 5

00 for 83.10

62,611

,t

/55.1111

110 0

ein.11

additional

51111--

for

$6.611

CO 0 0 $7_S I!

pin,

ype

/9

11111

.55
.05
.05

.115

1.25

61111-

9')9

.11
.10

.511

.111

.30
-30

.15

.35

.3

11:

Ideal for use with

1.11

It

series.

$1 00

any

up

11110

.35

amp

$2.75

circuit board cooIers. 5

10 -3 package.

11110

50-0 0

19

011- 19 9

1.111

00-9 99

000 up
.8)!

.911

1.011

%DE (5-band) RESISTORS.

Ill% values from 2.70 In 22012

Inch wish a dissipation up

1.211

11.LEN-0011)1.1-211

Any

of the 81 STANDARD

or '2 WATT. E1111

'A

S0.05.

ER 1111). DISC CAP.ACITORS. Type 5(1A-11100R ADC:

In, 12, 15, 211, 22, 25, 27, 30. 33. 39. 50. 56. 68, 75. 82. 11111. 120. 150. 1815 2015
2711, 3011, 330, 360, 111111, /711. 500. 5611. 6811. 7511. 820. 1000, 1200, 15011.
18611. 2000, 22185 25111, 2718/, 3000, 3:1(111, 3900, 1700, 511011521F.

EA) /I
11)1

57

2.85

2.72
3.66

701

2.15

3.83

3 16

3.27

1.115

3.711

3.51

3.31

.119
.111

.08
.09

.07

.11

.13
.11
Moe
.25

.12
.11

.11
.C1

.111

.22

.19

.16

.25

.2:1

VOLT ICE DISIIS, Type

6 25

1.08F, 36

.IAF,

OV

ELECTROLYTIC
.

3115F,

C.

Pb'

Board) mount.

100110, 111

200,

0.1125F. E 61.

s 10
s

A.

I 25

113178F. 3V

2.20', 36

30

0.221. 106
0.1110', 161

20

111

ACITORS: 01 ialues are available in Indli. axial or upright (PC

indicate your dance.

22118F, 151
5000% 151

12

AP

151

5005, I5V
1000% 151

256

10

356

211

11

111

5118F, :156

20

10

11115F,

" 21/

Ill

351
500218. 356

10

S
6

100081 351

'

10

20

lo1.

5111

6 10

"

311

2,015

10%

S 1)1

15

:)8F.

7013

15

:3118F

55F. 510'

5:

III

11611. 511V

13

501

211

2118F

5112/F 1111

S 2(1

10117 1, 5113
21815F. 501
501154. 304

20

$ 10
0 55

Ill

TERMS: Hoed firms SET 30 day. Other.. cheek or uniney order with order.
Bank Iniericard and Maderelorge are welcome. Ill insowing is now done by computer
therefore. the following standard charges nill automativally be added In your order.

If

9osIr1111'n-handire total is betworei

SPECI

.60

178. EA(11

1,011

1.111

.111

2911)!,))

1.90

6.511

l ing resistors

for
for
for

DEAT SINKS: Wakefield 3292,

I', 211 watt.', Designed for use n

.51

1.111

.13

T,

III, 1.2

156131. 1,16

1002
1003

9 758

3.0 0
2.5)!

.111

"""

P.81811, 25.26

.16
3/2

1001

6110
0 00

STANCOR TRANSFORMERS:

.19
3/8
.51

.11

717?

2.011

.1111

.511

3 .011

.10
.15

t Pn
Pin '
''.1)
1 Pin ,Closed.Enli,
Cap
6 Pin '

1.611

.15
.11)

\ 0l!

III

1.

6.75
2.75
2.75
2.25

7.00

Pin
in

1.711

Ell 5S1S1 O8 S 151) 1/10111,

1.35
1.23

1.6 5

1.25

17, 250,

1.23

1.11)

23111

1.6:1

131
131

1.211

2.05

2.111

1.51

1.311

1.12
1.31
1.39
1.39

1.911
1.311

63

13/3

3.17
3.36
6.15

711

21)11

.75

IS!

2.06

.041

for I IMO
for S1.211

1.5

1.1,3

1.18

2.35

2.00
2.00
2.00

75

2.99 2.82
3.59 3.38
3.81 3.58
7.31 6.88
2.111

52711

71155

III

.73
.75

9E551/8
63.5551
55506
9633/16

7113

57
.71

.81

.7')
.79

24-51111

1.18
1.37
.51

.115

.711

.43
.13
.68

1.1111

1.36
1.11

911111!
9E526
963.116
NE536
F546I

.3

.71.

1.05
1.61
1.51

.111

115E16

I .00

7.1111

0 P

85

TESI))

.311

curn-,,l

1-

.75

.811

1.1111

III it all

00 for S7.111

.115

.88

III

up

1,01111

COI

1101.1:5 IC SOIEvET PISS: l re- these econi

al pins instead ire soldering your IC's to
PC hoards. Sold in continuous drips in multiples of 11111 pins only.

71521

.812

3.0 0

Package of IL

.75
.75

74S211

7191,1

iniltons

reduced their

,,,, non .3:1 in char.-1er height 7-Segment and overflow

The 555-7 and SSS-9 are the
display rasp80.-1y, nilh decimal point on the left and wide angle viewing. The SSS.I
and 555-2 have the sanie physical dimensions as 1he SSS-7 and ,SS-9 with increased life
and slightly lower current requirement. The SSS IF is the rente ,1he SSS-1 except it has
a colon instead of a dreimal poll, making it ideal tor use in a digital lock. The 959.3
and SSS. t are the new giant .77 in dorarter height 7-Segmeid and overflow display
10 feel. 'SInO included
lespectively, with decimal poins on the rigid and readability up
above is a raw reduced price on our Incandesce. 7Segnien1 Display.

1110

74S22

71,60

11

5)111

.211

74,51

S9S-9

3.25
3.25
2.75

1.110

.31

.81

3.75

7.511
7.511

3.511
3.511

(.80

.88
.88

.47
.17

.30

1.20

71901

1.110

1.25

Dual-ireline sock! r S. Ilrand new with gold plated

88

1.7.1
I .51
I .11

12

1.05

2.61

solorno

74S113

.311

100.

990

1.511

1.51!

aln

00-999

2.811

7.4500
71501

.37

.11

2.1111

.28
.28

.10
.31
.56
.36
.11

.31
.31

71107
71121
71122
71123
71111
31115
7113(1
71151
7115.1
71131

2.00

741811

.76
.10

.151

-1133

71175

.811

7153
7154
7159
7160
7170

7193
7191
7195
710i.

.28

.81
.51

.3

7151

71'11

'P

.32
.28
.28

7150

7/92

10110

999

.15

1.31
1.30

71113

.53
.36

100.

.34
.30

7116
7117
7118

7182

.30
.30

.511

I'$1

Calalog
5. umber

.18

71,
143

.32
.32

.34

.36
.32
.32

.31

71,

112

316

.30
.30
.30
.30
.32
.32
.50
.50
.31
.31

/3.

/0,0

.51

.38
-121,
-1 :1

1.11

.32
.32
.32
.32
.31

1 lii

(1,..111,

111,1

7100
71112

ORDERS AT OUR

11,11Jpi,

lO

l',''1 Item

((Io)

.111

scum.

POST-NIARKLO OR CALLED

21Erri. 1973.

0.nm,

7101

HONES ER.

1SEO PRICES IF

III

1.75

7.75
7.75

13011

1.99

5.00 $21.99
25.011, S19.09
50.110 699.99

$100.011 and up

With II iS
(your choicek

II

II!

60 Mail

$0.511

dI

$11.75
$0.511

Postal Insnrance

$0.25

add

$1625

Special Detilary

$0.71

0,1

,11.011

4,24111
I

IL cHARGEs

(.1)11

S1.1111

old

dl shipments will

he F.0.11.

desloolion. In

additional
additional
additional
additional

Fires Clare or UPS

he, sli,r2to include shipping. loodling and insmanr.

.12

91I5501 RI

RESIDENTS:

Plea.

I's oles lax.

318

.12
BANKAMERICARO

.19

/4

ORDER DESK
311 h.:, are supplied in /1-.
or 21-pin DIP IlIoalan-linel pladie ot carmine parkage
escepl for 9E136. 5E5 111. and 9E5 111 which come in 10-5 iiaakage. I tillage flegulallara
11335,1,11330 and 1.0337 are supplied in TO .3 (Diamond) paireage.

(TOLL FREE/

SOLID

64AI

s.L`11.1:01:3,

JPIC.

1-800.325-2595

84-

gite FREE data sheets upon reducid. ki

are
buying.

for those Irered IC's thal you

n,

341.

101

1110.' 151,

shiol

11131

you

1E1). men

P.

0.

BOX 773

COLUMBIA, MISSOURI 65201

1580 9(0-760-1453

CIRCLE NO.
MAY 1973

33

PHONE 314

master charge

443-3673

ON READER SERVICE CARD

119

NATIONAL
74502
74506

45006
7445013

745017
745016
STATIC

74504
74505

MOS CT5005
CALCULATOR ON

Cshifl re9,sI4n70 -5
.75
dual 50 bit
dual 100 bit 1.00
dual 100 bit 1.00
1024 bit 1.50
dual 512 DIP 1.50

512 bit 1.00

0;41 reghten
dual 16 bit 1.00
bit 1.25
dual 32

74550

dual differential
analog switch
2.00

A CHIP
This chip has a full four
function memory. Memory is
controlled by four keys, aM
(adds entry to memory),
(subtract entry from memo -,
-- without
CM (clear
Tearing rest of registers),
read memory or use as
RM
entry).

.12 DIGIT DISPLAY AND CALL.

'FIXED DECIMAL AT 0,1,2,3,
5

3 CHIP

LEADING ZERO SUPPRESSION

CALCULATOR SET
This calculator set has
eight 4igit.floating point
It
with left hand entry.
will add, subtract, multiply. and divide. Overflow
and negative signals are

SEVEN SEGMENT MULTIPLEXED

OUTPUT
TRUE CREDIT SIGN DISPLAY
SINGLE 28 PIN CHIP
Chip and data -- $14.95
Data only
1.00
(refundable)

provided.

Chips and data -- -$6.95

1.00
Data only
(refundable)

'

MC1013 ECL BSmc ff

1.00

MC1023 ECL driver

2.00
MCI039 ECL -TTL interface
2.00

MV -50

emitting
10 -40ma @ 2V
red

-- (1r -

60

MV -105 Visible red

5 -70ma @ 2V

Af\

SCHOTTKYTU.

82530
62533
82541
82542
82562
82$67
8200
8263
8264

.40

--

185020 red LED

8 input

.75

DIP
$.25
.35
.25
.25
.25
.25
.40
.25

7402
7403
7404
7405
7408
7410
7413
7420
7430
7440
7441
7442

1.75
.25

.25
.25
1.30
1.00
1.50

7446
7448
7450
7451
7453
74$4

13.00 EACH

multiplexer

v,

o-

.25
.25

.75

5411

1.00

f2

dual

S bit buffer regist

input 4 bit multiplexe
input 4 bit multiplexe

r 24

.75

.25
.40

.55
.40
.55
.50
1.15
.65
3.00
.90

7476
7480

7483
7486
7489

1.00
.75

1.00
1.00

pin DIP - -- 3.50

- - -3.50
- - -3.60

24 pin DIc
24 pin OIP

LMI00

.90
1.15
.55

2.50

3.50

.80
1.00

.75

1.00
.45

747

1.10
.30
.40
.40

709
710
711

1.75

CMOS

BRBYLOn
ELECTROnIC6
CIRCLE NO.

Camichal,

95608

a
(916)

966 -2111

012
C04023

HIGH FIDELITY
DIAMOND NEEDLES and Stereo Cartridges at Discount prices for
Shure, Pickering, Stanton, Empire, Grado and ADC. Send for free
catalog. All merchandise brand new and factory sealed. LYLE
CARTRIDGES, Dept. P, Box 69, Kensington Station, Brooklyn,
New York 11218.

your time and money. Get the lowest mail order price on
stereo equipment. Free details, write GOODJOHN, P.O. Box 1018,
Miami Beach, Fla. 33139.
SAVE

TUBES

2.50

LM309K
NE5556
NE5558
74104181 DIP)

sae

PiBoornJ

-all

2.00
1.00

LM309H

IC
new and fully tested,leads are plated with
gold or solder.
Orders for $5 or more will be shipped 755(714E)
prepaid. Add 354 for smaller orders. California
residents add sales tax.
IC orders are shipped with 24 hrs
C04002
COD's may be phoned
Money book guarantee
CD4002

All

Equipment, Portable Platers, Supplies and "Know How." Build your own tanks for nickel, chrome, etc. Easy -toinstall PVC liners. Rectifier components
sizes. Schematics,
parts lists, formulas, operating instructions for all plating.
Guaranteed to save you 25 % -75 %. Some good units for sale.
Write for details. Platers Service Company, 1511 -PE Esperanza,
Los Angeles. Calif. 90023.
PLATING

.30

7460
7472
7473
7474

LINEARS

5400

ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES
AND EQUIPMENT

1.25

LU321 dual JK "Utilogic ".60 74193

SP629
SIT Signetic
.40 74195
5P659 dual 4 input bof. .25

input 4 01[ multiplexer

25.40 42O
quad EX/OR element
74.1554L30
4 bit comparator
85440
9 bit parity gen. /checker
W 54H40
2 input 4 bit multiplexer
'54L51

TTL

7401

8850.9601- -one shot multi7492

vibrator
1.00 7493
8269
ignetic is same as
7495
8200 National 4 bit
74107
comparator
1.60 74154
MC853 ual JR DEL
0
74181

7400

7400-

.75
.75
.75
.75

ON READER SERVICE CARD

TAPE AND RECORDERS

RADIO & T.V. Tubes -360 each. Send for

4213 University, San Diego, Calif. 92105.

free Catalog. Cornell,

RECEIVING & INDUSTRIAL TUBES, TRANSISTORS. All

Brands

Biggest Discounts. Technicians, Hobbyists, Experimenters-Request FREE Giant Catalog and SAVE! ZALYTRON, 469 Jericho Turnpike, Mineola, N.Y. 11501.

parts and transmitting- receiving tubes, foreign domestic. Send 25C for giant catalog. Refunded first order.
United Radio Company, 56 -P Ferry Street, Newark, N.J. 07105.
SAVE money on

TUBES

"Oldies ", latest. Lists free. Steinmetz, 7519 Maplewood,

Hammond, Indiana 46324.

-free

-all

major labels -3,000 different

brochure. Stereo -Parti, 55 St. James Drive, Santa Rosa,

RENT 4 -Track open reel tapes

Ca. 95401.

1930-1962 Radio Programs on tape. Huge Catalog! Sample

Recordings! $1.00 refundable!! AM Treasures, Box 192F, Babylon,
N.Y. 11702.

SCOTCH MAGNETIC TAPE (USED)

_150. 1 MIL POLYESTER. 3600 FT.
ON 101/
IN. FIBERGLASS REELS,

receiving, factory boxed, low prices, free price list.

Transleteronic, Inc., 1306 40th Street, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11218A,
TUBES

Telephone: 212-633-2800.
TUBES,

ANTIQUE -Send

list.

P.O.

Box

5570, Compton,

Calif.

90224.

REPAIRS AND SERVICES

USED ONCE, $1.99;

1800 FT., 7 IN.

REELS, 990- GUARANTEED TO PERFORM AS GOOD AS NEW OR MONEY
REFUNDED. (BULK, NO BOX). USED
101/ IN. FIBERGLASS REELS (SMALL
HOLE) 500. NEW HINGED BOXES:
301/ IN.. 390, 7 IN.. 90
Add 10
to Above Tape Prifen for Shipping/

-5%
SAXITONE TAPE SALES

handling,
Over 080.00. (Extra Boxes. Reels,
etc- Please Include Funds for Weight and Distance)

1776 Columbia Rd., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20009

BLANK 8 -track Cartridges, Cassettes. Tremendous Discounts.
Free Catalog. Exhibo West, Box 5174 -PE, Mission Hills, CA 91340.

EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION

Tuners rebuilt and aligned per manufacturers specification.

Only $9.50. Any make UHF or VHF Ninety day written guarantee.
Ship complete with tubes or write for free mailing kit and dealer
TV

brochure.

Electronics, Box 510, Bloomington, Indiana 47401.

with equipment from

miniature circuit boards to large control panels. Engineering,
consultation, drafting. Multiple Electronics, Post Office Box
ELECTRONIC BUILD SERVICE. Experienced

2319, Anderson, Indiana 46011. Phone 317-642-4973.

PERSONALS
MAKE

EXCITING Overseas jobs. Directory $1.00. Research Associates,

Box 889 -E, Belmont, California 94002.

JW

FRIENDS

WORLDWIDE

through international correspon-

dence. Illustrated brochure free. Hermes, Berlin 11, Germany.

DO -IT- YOURSELF

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
ELECTRONICS /AVIONICS EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES. Report
on jobs now open. Details FREE. Aviation Employment Information Service, Box 240E, Northport, New York 11768.

120

PROFESSIONAL ELECTRONIC PROJECTS -$1.00 up. Catalog 35e.

PARKS, Box 15201A, Seattle, Wash. 98115.
BURGLAR -FIRE ALARM Supplies and Information. Free
EICO, Dept. PE, Box 215, Bklyn, N.Y. 11207.

Catalog.

POPULAR ELECTRONICS Including Electronics World

INVENTIONS WANTED

GREGORY ELECTRONICS

Reconditioned & Used

FM 2 -WAY RADIO SAVINGS
Paiid Lid -S.nd foe Now Calalae

PATENT Searches including Maximum speed, full airmail report

and closest patent copies. Quality searches expertly administered. Complete secrecy guaranteed. Free Invention Protection
forms and "Patent Information," Write Dept. 9, Washington

Patent

Office

Search Bureau,

P.O. Box 7167, Washington,

Benjamin

Franklin

Substation,

MOTOROLA

D.C. 20044.

"Directory of 500 Corporations Seeking New Products."

For information regarding development, sale, licensing of your
patented /unpatented invention. Write: Raymond Lee Organization,
FREE

U51GGT

230 -GR Park Avenue, New York City 10017.

40 -50 MHz

Protect your ideas! Free "Recommended Procedure". Washington Inventors Service, 4221 Washington Building,
INVENTORS:

s188

12 volts, 60 watts.
Transistorized power
supply. Narrow band
complete with accessories
Private line (if available) add $35.

Washington, D.C. 20005.

will sell your Invention before you do,

(either through your own efforts or those of another firm) or
I will pay you a cash bolus. For Free Invention Evaluation and
information, write Gilbert Adams, Invention Broker, Dept. 20,
INVENTORS! Either

81 Wall St., New York, N Y. 10005.

NEW PRODUCTS -INVENTIONS-IDEAS Developed /Marketed by
professional organization. FREE INFORMATION "How to Market
Inventions To Industry ". Lawrence Peska Associates, 500 -PE
Fifth Avenue, New York City 10036.

"Tips on Safeguarding Your Invention." Write:

United States Inventors Service Company, 708 -T Carry Building,
FREE PAMPHLET:

Washington, D.C. 20005.

for patented, unpatented inventions. Global

Marketing Service, 2420 -P 77th, Oakland, California 94605.
CASH -ROYALTIES

Just Arrived! G.-E. "Message Mates"

High Band Receivers with Sel -Call
G.E.

VHF

IS!

AS

UHF

pla
............ ...........................510.

GREGORY ELECTRONICS CORP.

249.P Rt. 46, Saddle Brook, N.J. 07662
Phone; 1201) 4899000

8MM -SUPER 8.16MM MOVIES! Biggest Selection! Lowest Prices!

Free Catalog! Cinema Eight, Box 245 -PE, N.Y.C. 10028.

CIRCLE NO.

19

ON READER SERVICE CARD

GOVERNMENT SURPLUS. Complete sales directory $1.00. Surplus

Publications, Box 26062Z, Los Angeles, Calif. 90026.

BOOKS
catalog aviation /electronic /space books. Aero Publishers,

329PE Aviation Road, Fallbrook, California 92028.

prophet Elijah coming before Christ. Wonderful bible

evidence. Megiddo Mission, Dept. 64, 481 Thurston Rd., Rochester, N.Y. 14619.
FREE book

PLASTICS
CASTOLITE pours like water, hardens like glass without heat.
Crystal clear, colors. Embed natural flowers, other objects.
Make fine gifts. Form flexible molds over any pattern, size.
Reproduce your own designs in plastics, candle wax, metal,
plaster, cement. Profitable. Illustrated Manual and Catalog Only
$1.00. CASTOLITE, Dept. 73E /PE, Woodstock Ill. 60098.

GOVERNMENT SURPLUS
GOVERNMENT Surplus. How and Where to Buy in Your Area. Send
$2.00. Surplus Information, Headquarters Bldg., Box 30177 -PE,
Washington, D.C. 20014.

ELECTRONIC Equipment and Parts. Big 36 page Free Catalog.

Send for your copy today! Fair Radio Sales, Box 1105 -P, Lima,

Ohio 45802.

Typically from $53.90.

.
Trucks from $78.40.
.
Airplanes, Clothing, Multimeters,
Oscilloscopes,
Photographic, Electronics Equipment. Wide -variety, condition. 100,000 Bid Bargains direct
from government nationwide. Complete sales directory and
surplus categories catalog $1.00 (Deductible on orders from
separate included catalog). Surplus Service, Box 820 -1, Holland,
Michigan 49423.

JEEPS

complete,

...

MOVIE FILMS

FREE

LINE STRIPS, physically

LOW BAND

PROGRESS

Power supply. 30
MA /E13 MA /E16 MA /E33 MA /E36 MA E42
watts. less vibrator ...520.
$20.
$20.
Power supply, 60
watts. less vibrator
$25.
$25.
TX narrow band
less final tubes
Note: MA /E42
wide band
$18. ...525.
525. ...530. ...512.
RX wide band
less ovens
14' Progress Line Case, consisting of front basket and front
with lock
LOW band dual front end, 2 freq. strip
$20.

for govt surplus radios, test sets, scopes, teletype.

List 50f. Books, 7218 Roanne Drive, Washington, D.C. 20021.

MANUALS

SPORTS ACTION FILMS

SUPER 8 and 8mm color or B &W films for sale. Instant replay of
NFL, Super Bowls, NHL Stanley Cup, NBA Basketball, Major

League Baseball and All Boxing. Write for discount sports film
catalog today. Elect. Dept., SPORTLITE, Box 500, Speedway,
Indiana 46244.

RUBBER STAMPS
RUBBER address stamps. Free catalog. 45 type styles. Jackson's,
Box 443F, Franklin Park, III. 60131.

PHOTOGRAPHY -FILM,
EQUIPMENT, SERVICES
FREE!

230

S.

Book -Central Camera

Wabash, Chicago, III. 60604.
FREE! Bargain

MUSICAL

Co.,

Dept.

1051,

INSTRUMENTS

Boats, Typewriters,

Knives,
Transceivers,

MAY 1973

30% DISCOUNT name brand musical instruments. Free Catalog.

Freeport Music, 455N, Route 110, Melville, N.Y. 11746.
WHOLESALE! Professional Guitars, PA Systems, Altec Speakers,
240W RMS Amplifiers. Free Catalog, Carvin, Escondido, Calif.

92028.
121

We wilil equal any quantity discount for any IC or display

offered by any surplus dealer
advertising
in this magazine

LIGHT EMITTING DIODES

FLV 300 VIS. LED
$ .65
MT2 Photo Transistor
$ .90
MCT -2 Opto. Isolator .
Opto. Isollator
51.49
MCS -1 Opto. Isolator .
Photo Relay
$1.95
5
.65
MV5026 VIS LED
.65
ME4 IR LED's
MRD 14B Photo carlingtons .65

7400

7476
7480
7483
7486
7490
7492
7493
7495
7494
74121
74123
74154
74161
74192
74193
74194
8570
8590
9309
9312
9322
8280

7401
7402
7403
7404
7405
7408
7410
7411
7420
7430
7440
7441
7442
7446
7447
7448
7450
7460
7472
7473
7474
7475

..

.60
.65

..1.24
.60

..1.00
..

.79
.79

..1.10
.70

..1.20
..1.95
..1.79
..1.75
..1.75
..2.35

..1.90
..1.95
..1.95
..1.95
..1.40

VERIPAX PC BOARD
This board is a 1/16^ single

sided paper epoxy board 41/2^

61/2^ (standard ver ipax) DRILLED
and etched, which will hold 21
single 14 pin IC's, or 8,16 or
LSI DIP IC's with busses for
power supply connections. It is
etched for a 22 pin connec-

21,13584

214965

2N1605

285324

NPN
PNP
NPN
PNP

2(410150NPN

2N3724
2N3772
256109
2N5296
2N4898

NPN
NPN

TRANSISTOR SPECIALS
2A
TO-66 35W 250V
7V .1A
70-18 .15W
24V .1A
TO-5
.1SW
60W 250V lOA
TO-3
TO-82 150W 200V 7.5A

Si
GE
GE
GE
Si

IOMHz100Hfe f1.50
.300
40
/51.00
14

125

20
.025

51.12251

PNP Si
NPN Si
PNP Si
NPN Si

253055

NPN

.8W 30V 1.A 250

150W 60V 30A .2
153-3
4A .8
TO-220 36W 40V
T0-220 36W 40V 4A .8
T0-66 25W 40V 4A 40
TO-66 10W 225V .5A 10
70-3 115W 100V 15A .2

Si

NIXIE TUBE
RAYTHEON 8754 WITH

SOCKET AND DATA SHEET S2.25

$1.50
$1.45

10

70-5

Si
Si

5/51.00

3S

60
30
60
60
46

3/51.00

51.25
50e

S5t

S .60
S .70

40
44

51.00

FULL WAVE BRIDGES

2A
6A
PRV
200
.95 1.25
400 1.15 1.50
600 1.35 1.75

3/56.00

Printed circuit board 41/2^ n 61 /a^ double

sided fiber glass board 1 16 thick, unetched.
5.60 ea. 5 $2.50

MAN-4 LED READOUT ..54.50

MAN -3 LED READOUT

..52.95

Silicon Power Rectifiers

PRV

IA

3A

8223 Field Prog ROM

1101 256 Bit RAM
PRV

T
1A

400

.40
.70
.90
1.10

500

1.50

100
200
300

R I
I

...$8.00
$4.00

A C S

50A

.09
.30
.85
.06
200 .07 .16
.35 1.25
400 .09
.45 1.50
.20
.70 1.30
600 .11
.30
.85
2.30
800 .15
.40
1.10 2.75
1000 .20
.55
Silicon Control Rectifiers

10A
.70

1.10
1.35
1.60

'

2.00

15A 1208=
11.20

1.00
1.50
1.90
2.30

11.60

'2.00

2.40
2.70 12.80

3.$14.50
tor. 55.25
vPress Fit
Send $ .20 for ou- Spring catalog featuring Transistors and Rectifiers

PRV

6A

10A

20A

8242
8250
8252
8262
8270
8271
8275
8280

8000 SERIES IC'S

-.1.75
..1.95
-.1.75 8254
8713 ..1.75
..1.00 8714 ..1.95
-,1.95 8716 . -1.9$
..L95 8T22 -.1.75
8723 ..1.75
..1.95
..1.95
8724 -.1.75
-.1.95 8726 -.1.75
.90
8780 -.1.10
-.1.75 8T90 -.1.10

DECADE COUNTER KIT

Consisting of:
1 -Nixie tube & socket (8754)
1 -7490
1- 7475
1

-7441

3/$15.00

PA234 1 Watt
Audio Amps
$1.25
LM1
Amp Regulator
$2.25
741 OPER. AMP
$ .50
709
95
723 Regulator
$ .75
TVR -2002 high
power 723
$1.00
7038F 1F Amp
$ .80
51.35
CA3065 FM TV Amp
56S Phase Look Loop
53.25
$3.25
566 Function Gen.
$3.25
567 Tone Decoder
560 Phase Look Loop
53.25
$3.25
561 Phase Lock Loop
555 2U5 to 1 Hour Timer $1.19
5558 Dual 741 (Mini Dip) .88
531 High Slew Oper Amp $2.50
536 FET Input Oper Amp $3.25
52.50
537 Precision 741
$2.04
540 70W Power Driver
51.25
747 Dual 741
$1.95
IM208 Oper Amp
S .75
5556 Oper Amp
101 Oper Amp
$ .75
741CV Oper Amp
-

12A

100

5V 1 Amp. regulated power

supplies. These units are similar
to analog devices encapsulated
5E905 power supplies $34.95

8230
8233

70A

1.00
3.50
100 .30
.45
200 .50
.75
1.25
6.50
.90 1.50
300 .60
1.75
400 .70 1.10
9.50
500 .80 1.25 2.00
11.00
2.25
600 .90 1.40
.50
TIS43 UJT's
2143819 N Channel FET's.. .50
60
D13T PROG. UJT's
ER 900 Trigger Diodes 4/$1 00

...........

$1.75
320-5V Reg.
$1.75
320 -15V Reg.
424 -Zero Voltage Switch $1.25
FOB Cambridge. Mass.
Send check or Money Order. In-

Terms:

clude postage. Average Wt. per

package 1/2 Ib. No C.O.D. -5.
Minimum Order 53.00
Rated companies 30 days net

SOLID STATE SALES

Somerville, Mass. 02143

Post Office Box 74A

CIRCLE NO.

32

Tel. (617) 5474005

ON READER SERVICE CARD

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
MADE 540,000.00 Year by Mailorder! Helped others make
money" Start with 510.00 -Free Proof, Torrey, Box 318 -N, YpsiI

lanti, Michigan 48197.

$200.00 DAILY In Your Mailbox! Your opportunity to do what
mail -order experts do. Free details. Associates, Box 136 -1, Holland, Michigan 49423.
Repair air conditioning, refrigeration. Tools, supplies, full instructions. Doolin, 2016 Canton, Dallas, Texas 75201.
FREE CATALOGS.

SMALL, highly profitable electronic production in your

basement. Investment, knowledge unnecessary. Postcard brings
facts. Barta-PEM, Box 248, Walnut Creek, California 94597.
MAILORDER: How to prepare your own catalog for pennies! Free
Catalog! Obie -Q5, Brooklyn, New York 11219.
START

weekly easy! Spare Time! Details, Beautiful

Sample Free. Russell Products, Dept. BC174A, Columbia,
Tennessee 38401.

$100.00 EXTRA

fantastically successful Mail Order Businesses -earns $2000

monthly: Details: Tradewinds, 3401 W. Caracas, Tampa, Fla.
TWO

33614 -PE.

MAILORDER MILLIONAIRE helps beginners make $500 weekly.

Free report reveals secret plan! Executive (1K5), 333 North

TREASURE FINDERS

Michigan, Chicago 60601.

FREE -Valuable

ONE -MAN
ELECTRONIC FACTORY

PROE
HIFI'ABLGHLY

Investment unnecessary, knowledge not required,

sales handled by professionals. Postcard brings facts
about this unusual opportunity. Write today! BartaDEPE, Box 248, Walnut Creek, CA 94597.

PIANO TUNING LEARNED QUICKLY AT HOME! Tremendous field

Musical knowledge unnecessary. GI approved. Information free

Empire School, Box 327, Miami 33145.
RICH DRIVING YOUR CAR. Magnetic signs, Big Money,
very, very easy. Copy Sign, 6644 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A., Calif.
90038.
GROW

SECRET BOOK "2042 Unique, Proven Enterprises." Beat

inflation with fabulous, successful "Little Knowns." Work home!
FREE

Haylings -B9, Carlsbad, Calif. 92008.

122

Treasure Finder catalog sent by return mail.

Find Coins, Rings, Gold, Silver, Metals, Relics. Write today.
JETCO, Dept. CPE, Box 26669, El Paso, Texas 79926.

silver, coins, treasures.

powerful models. $19.95 up. Instant financing available. Free
catalog. Relco, Dept. A-33, Box 10839, Houston, Texas 77018.
DISCOVER AMERICA'S FASTEST GROWING HOBBY. White's Electronics, Inc., would like to send you -absolutely FREE, their 42
page, fact -filled catalog on Mineral and Metal Locating Equipment. Amateurs or Professionals select from the world's largest
line of metal detectors, priced as low as $79.50, up. Detect
Gold, Silver, Copper- Nuggets, Coins, Jewelry, etc. Budget terms
available. For your convenience we have three major factory
locations in the U.S. and Canada, as well as over 1,000 authorized
dealers to serve you. See your local Yellow Pages, under "Metal
Locating Equipment ", or write: White's Electronics Inc., Room
No. 391, 1101 Pleasant Valley Road, Sweet Home, Oregon 97386
-Elk -Air Industrial Park, Dexter Drive, East, Elkhart, Indiana
46514 -or White's Electronics Ltd., 33784 Hazel Street, Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada.
TREASURE FINDER locates buried gold,
5

DETECTORS. You deserve the best. Free

Dept. PE -5, P.O. Box 490. Belmont, CA 94002.

FISHER
FR -L,

literature,

POPULAR ELECTRONICS Including Electronics World

Popular Electronics
INCLUDING

Electronics World

MAY 1973

ADVERTISERS INDEX

READER
SERVICE NO.
ADVERTISER
43
Allied Electronics
I
Antenna Specialists Co.. The
2
Avanti Research and Development, Inc.

99

READER
ADVERTISER
SERVICE NO.
19
Gregory Electronics Corp.

95

20

Heath Company

81

21

PAGE NO,

PAGE NO.
121

24,

25

23
24

12

CREI Capitol Radio Engineering Institute 106. 107. 108, 109

Cleveland Institute of Electronics. Inc.
72. 73, 74. 75
Cobra Communications, Dynascan Corporation
13
Cortlandt Electronics, Inc.
116
Datak Corporation, The
99
Delta Electronics Co.
115
Delta Products, Inc.
71

29

103
Lafayette Radio Electronics
FOURTH COVER
Lee Electronic Labs. Inc.
III
McIntosh Laboratory, Inc.
& Telemetry Systems, Inc. 17
M ITS Micro Instrumentation
10, II
Mallory Distributor Products Company
105
Midwest Hi Fi Wholesale & Mail Order Div.
NRI Training
SECOND COVER, I. 2, 3
54. 55, 56. 57
National Technical Schools
112
PTS Electronics, Inc.
92
Pace Communications
I17
Poly Paks

13

DigiKey

116

30

RCA Institutes, Inc.

98

31

103

32

112

33

124

34

SBE
Solid State Sales
Solid State Systems, Inc
TDK Electronics Corp.

89

35

Tri -Star Corporation

87

93

36

United Audio Products. Int.

Utah Electronics Division
Wahl Clipper Corporation
Xcelite, Inc.

15

3
8
9

10

Babylon Electronics
Bell & Howell Schools

18,

Bose

19,

20.

120

II

21

22

23

27

28

17

EEP Corporation
EEP Corporation
EICO
Edmund Scientific Company
El Instruments. Inc.
Electro- Voice, Inc.

40

Fanon /Courier Corp.

104

37

18

Fluke
Gaylord Electronics Inc.

105

38

101

39

41

42
14
15

16

44

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING

115,

REAL ESTATE
FREE

...

NEW

BIG

102

122
119

1'3

..

SUMMER CATALOG! Describes and

City, Mo. 64112.

MISCELLANEOUS
WINEMAKERS: Free illustrated catalog yeasts, equipment. Semplex, Box 12276P, Minneapolis, Minn. 55412.
HOME WATER DISTILLERS. Remove all impurities for pennies a
gallon. Portable, no plumbing. Free details. United Vito -Way, Box

2216 -V, Everett, Washington 98203.

9
87
8

116. 117. 118. 120, 121, 122, 123

EMERGENCY HORN- Hand-sized, self -powered. Perfect

gencies. Can be heard up to one mile. Will also repel

pictures hundreds of farms, ranches, town and country homes,

businesses coast to coast! Specify type property and location
preferred. UNITED FARM AGENCY, 612 -EP West 47th St., Kansas

MAY 1973

36. 37, 38, 39

for emerattackers

or animals, without permanent harm. $3.50 postpaid. J. Ross,

Box 223, Jamaica, N. Y. 11431. Dept. PE.
YOUR LOW COST

Classified or Display Classified Ad in these col-

umns will be seen, read and responded to regu'arly by America's

largest audience of Electronics Professionals and Hobbyists.
For $1.60 per word (minimum $16.00) your Classified ad will
produce sales results far in excess of the small amount you'll
spend on advertising. If your product or service deserves more
prominent exposure to this audience, then Display Classified is
for you
. and
it's available in units of 1 ", 2" or 3" by one

column at rates of $200.00, $400.00 or $600.00 per insertion

(even less if you sign up for a 6 or 12 -time contract. For immediate action send copy and payment NOW to: Hal Cymes,
Classified Advertising Manager, POPULAR ELECTRONICS including ELECTRONICS WORLD, One Park Avenue, New York,
New York 10016.
123

LIVE IN THE WORLD OF TOMORROW...TODAY!

lAnd our FREE CATALOG is packed with exciting and
unusual ecological L physical science items -plus
4,000 finds for fun, study or profit ... for every member of the family.)

a__ __

Learn to control your Alta brainwaves for

improved
m
trdeheadband(w o messy
etc.) atchd to aamplifer 6ltrs brainwaves, gnals beep for ea Alpha or Theta
passed. Spel monitoring
button to simulate Alpha 000d:
audio & visual
) feedbuek.
Reliable, easy -to -use trainer unit
has features comparable to many
stlier models. Completely safe.
Most people can learn in 8.12
hrs w ncl instr.
(Bx3o4 "; 24 ox.) $124.50 Ppd.

ASTRONOMICAL TELESCOPE KITS

pyrex

blank, tool, abras'vesr

diagonal
mirror
and
eyepiece lenses.

Stock
Stock
Stock
Stock
30
Stock

46

Grind your own mirror

fforr powerful telescopes.
Kita contains fin an-

t:0

'Instru-

--

ens you build range

value from $75.00 to
vas
hundreds of dollars.
No. 70,003AV. 41x" ((iam. 3/4" thick.$10.75 Ppd.
No. 70,004AV...6" chart). 1" thick ...$16.95 Ppd.
No. 70,005AV..8" diam. 13/4" thick..924.50 Ppd.
No. 70,006AV..10 " diam..13/s" thick
lbs.
$44.50 FOB
No. 70,007AV.. 121/2a diam..21/2" thick

`MN MI IMO
"FISH" WITH

No.

$72.50

lbs..

...

Fascinating fun, and sometimes very profitable! Tie a line to our 5 -pound Magnet
drop it overboard in bay, river, lake or
ocean. Troll it along the bottom. Your
"treasured" haul can be outboard motors,
anchors, other metal valuables. Five -pound
Magnet is war surplus -Alnico V Type that
cost the Government $50. It lifts over 150
pounds on land -much greater weights under
water!
$14.00 Ppd.
Stock No. 70,571AV
$8.75 Ppd.
Stock No. 70,570AV 31/2 lbs.
No. 85,152AV 151/4 lbs. $33.95 F.0.11.

PHOTOCELL RELAY SYSTEM

/SEE

THE STARS,
MOON, PLANETS
CLOSE UP!

BUY!

AVAILABLE AGAIN! SURPLUS PRICED!

Stock No. 85,050

300 Edscorp

Building, Barrington,
Please rush Free Giant Catalog

N. 1.

4'/a"

REFLECTOR TELESCOPE WITH

ELECTRIC CLOCK DRIVE
Stook No. 85,086
.
$239.50 F.O.B.

REFLECTOR TELESCOPE (45X TO 270X) Stock

Description

Stock No.

PLEASE SEND

El GIANT FREE CATALOG

R0.85,105

$99.50 F.O.B.

Price Each

30 DAY

08007

"AV"

1lt.

MONEY-BACK

GUARANTEE
YOU MUST BE SATISFIED

Total

RETURN ANY PURCHASE IN 33 DAYS

FOR FULL REFUND

MERCHANDISE Total
HANDL NG

CHARGE

$1.00*

TOTAL $
I

enclose cneck
money order for

o50C ON

ORDERS OVER

$5.00

NAME

OR

Address

Lty

6"

I
I

"AV"

Name

$32.95 Ppd.

300 Edscorp Building, Barrington, N.J. 08007

-low Many

For hobbyists. experimenters, schools, industry.

AV...

EDMUND SCIENTIFIC COMPANY

Complete,y new Catalog. Packed with huge selection!

EDMUND SCIENTIFIC CO.

fascinating planet

COMPLETE & MAIL WITH CHECK OR M.O.

GIANT FREE
CATALOG!

3" ASTRONOMICAL

DELUXE Y' REFLECTOR TELESCOPE

Stock No. 30,162AV... $61.50 Ppd.

MAIL COUPON FOR

")

Mars, Seas and Craters of the Moon, Star Clusters in detail. New improved, aluminized and
overcoated 3" diameter f /Ill primary mirror,
ventilated ce I. Equatorial mount with locks on
both axes. Equipped with 60x finder telescope,
hardwood tripod. Included FREE: VALUABLE
"HOW TO USE YOUR TELESCOPE" book; "STAR
CHART"

$6.25 Ppd.

REFLECTING TELESCOPE
See the rings of Saturn, the

'Stock No. 60,622AV

It 121/2 x 4

rf
-

60 To 180 Power. Famous Mt. Palomar Type

Self contained unit adapted easily to operate burglar alarms; people, car, conveyor
package counters; annunciators; garage door
openers; warning systems, assemblyline
control, etc. Orig. built for expensive copying machines. Incls cadmium sulphide photocell, single -pole double -throw relay,
silicon rectifier, capacitor, resistor,
6.5v lamp, 75w 125v socket. Uses
110v AC Metal cased (11/8x33/ax3/4 ").
111/2 Oz. Instrs.

of telescopes. microscopes, binoculars, magnets, mag

nifiers, prisms, photo components, ecology and Unique
Lighting items, parts, kits. accessories
many hardto -get surplus bargains. 100's of charts, Illustrations.

logic,
about computer programming
decimal, binary systems, Laws of Sets.
Even do your own programming after
completing the simplified, 116 -page
instruction booklet. Circuits are easily changed, readout is from an
illuminated control panel. Requires
2 "D" batteries (not incl.).
Stock No. 71,434AV...$31.50 Ppd.
(11

- - --

164 PAGES
MORE THAN
4000 UNUSUAL BARGAINS!

NW!

Solve problems, play games, predict weather,

even play miniature chess, with this Actual working model of giant electronic
brains. Amazing new fun way to learn all

GIANT MAGNET
Go Treasure Hunting On The Bottom!

"IN NMI

1635AV

ELECTRONIC DIGITAL COMPUTER KIT

11111111

`Stock

KNOW YOUR
ALPHA FROM THETA!

ADDRESS

CITY

State

CIRCLE

P40. 15 ON

READER SERVICE CARD

Printed in U.S.A.

STATE

ZIP

Popular Electronics
INCLUDING

Electronics World

READER SERVICE
an
and

[eye's
easy
convenient way for you to get additional informaion about products advertised or mentioned editorially (if it has a

eader service number) in this issue. Just follow the directions below...
nd the material will be sent to you promptly and free of charge.

n the attached
ostage- free card,
rint or type your

ame and address

n the lines
idicated.

Circle the number (s)

that corresponds to the key
number (s) al the bottom or
next to the advertisement or

editorial mention that is of

interest to you. (Key numbers
for advertised products also
appear in the Advertisers' Index.)

Simply cut out

the card and mail.

postage
required.
No

FREE INFORMATION
the NEW STANDARD in Stereo Testing!
R HOME

Air;LABORATORY USE

Model SRJ2 STEREO TEST RECORD

The most complete... most sophisticated...
most versatile Test Disc available today.
ether you're an avid audiophile, a casual listener or a
rfessional technician ... the new MODEL SR12 will be the
st important disc in your entire collection.
IDEL SR12 has been produced by Stereo Review Magazine
music lovers who want immediate answers to questions
out the performance of their stereo systems and how to get
best possible sound reproduction.
s the most complete test record of its kind
containing
widest range of checks ever included on one test disc.

Make these important stereo checks

BY EAR... (no test instruments required )
Frequency response-a direct warble-tone check of nineteen

sections of the frequency spectrum, from 20 to 20,840 Hz, which

will pinpoint any frequency response defects in your system.

Separation -an Ingenious test which Indicates whether you have

adequate separation for good stereo.
Cartridge tracking- -the most sophisticated tests ever devised
for checking the performance of your cartridge. stylus and
tone arm.
Channel balance -two broad -band, random -noise signals which
permit you to eliminate any imbalances originating in cartridge,
amplifier, speakers or room acoustics.
Hum and rumble -foolproof tests that help you evaluate
actual audible levels of rumble and hum in your system.

the

Flutter-a sensitive "musical" test to check whether your turntable's flutter is low, moderate, or high.

'XS!

Cartridge and Speaker Phasing

Anti ling Adjustment
"Gun Shot Test" for Stereo Spread
li- purpose Musician's "A"
Equal- tempered Chromatic
ive
Guitar -tuning Tones.

Attention Professionals

Model SR12 is also designed to

used as a highly efficient design and measurement tool. Tests below nave been controlled to laboratory tolerances affording accurate
numerical evaluation when used with oscilloscope, chart recorder, output meter, intermodulation- distortion meter and flutter meter.
1,000 -Hz square waves to test transient and high -frequency response
of phono pickups.
be

500 to 20,000 Hz frequency -response sweep.

Sine -wave tone -bursts to test transient response of pickup.
Intermodulation test using simultaneous 400 -Hz and 4,000 -Hz signals.
Intermodulatlon sweep to show distortion caused by excessive resonances in tone arm and cartridge.
1,000-Hz reference tones to determine groove velocity.
3,000 -Hz tone for flutter and speed tests.

Sample waveforms- illustrating both accurate and faulty responses are

provided in the Instruction Manual for comparison with the patterns
appearing on your own oscilloscope screen.

FREE

Instruction Manual Includes Detailed

Instructions, Charts, Tables and Diagrams

HERE'S HOW TO ORDER YOUR SR12 STEREO TEST RECORD

CASH: Mail your order along with your name, address

and remittance in the amount of $5.98, postpaid.
CHARGE: Your American Express or Bank
Americard account! Mail your order, name,
tI1kMAMEAIfJ110
address and credit card number. You will
' yi,
.: %i%
be billed at $5.98, postpaid.
MAIL ALL ORDERS TO: RECORDS, ZIFF -DAVIS SERVICE
DIVISION, 595 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10012
OUTSIDE U.S.A. RECORDS ARE $8.00, POSTPAID.
9. `-ZT. '

.t

Don't let the handy size fool you.

The Serviset E/C is a complete, self contained versatile field test instrument. A
precision- built, reliable, much -used instrument to compliment your VOM, scope or
other equipment, too.
The Serviset E/C is great for servicing all sorts of electronics in the fiell and on
the bench. Whether you're a professional engineer working on communications or
ED devices. An electronics or appliance technician working in radio, television,
hi -fi audio or appliance repair. Or an amateur electronics enthusiast, ham radio

operator or student.
Checks you'll make with the Serviset E/C include: sync, sweep, video, audio
circuits; high or low DC, RF, or pulse voltage supplies; coils, capacitors, resistors,
tubes, transistors, diodes, transformers, speakers -- whatever you're troLble- shooting
from stage to stage, or discrete components. What's more, your Serviset E/C is safe:

whatever you check, you won't blow it.

The Serviset E /C. The $35. Electronic Test Lab (almost) that will follow you
anywhere. One of an advanced line of guaranteed electronic test devices from Lee
that will save you time and effort. Including our CT -1 Condenser Tester and
Leakage Indicator.
*seed check or money order. C.O.D., send $2. deposit.
Seriiset E /C, $34.95 postpaid from Lee Electronic Labs.
Available also at electronic dealers and all Olson Stores, nationwide

The $35.
Electronic Test Lab
(almost) that will

follow you anywhere:

Serviset EI/C

I2L

Lee Electronic Labs, Inc.

BOX 78, WATERTOWN, MASS. 02172 (617) 891 -8686

CIRCLE NO.

11 ON

READER SERVICE CARD